


\ 



•i 




Watchman, what of the night?'' 
The morning cometh." 



HERALDS 



OF THE 



MORNING 



The Meaning of the 

Social and Political Problems of To-day 

and the Significance of the Great 

Phenomena in Nature 



"Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The 
morning cometh, and also the night; if ye will inquire, inquire ye; turn ye, come." — Isaiah. 



ASA OSCAR TAIT 



OAKLAND, CAL. 
PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY 

San Francisco Portland Kansas City 



r 



TH[ L'BRARY of 

CONGRESS, 
One Copy Received 

AUG. 22 1904 

COPVWOHT EMTHY 

GtASa XXc. No. 

COPY A. 



Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1899, by 

A. O. TAIT, 
In the office of the Librarian oi Congress, at Washington. 




CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER. PAGR. 

Foreword 9 

I. "Watchman, What of the Night?" 13 

II. He Will Come Again 21 

TIL "This Same Jesus" . '. 33 

IV. "Shall So Come in Like Manner" 39 

V. We May Not Know the Hour 45 

VI. " Know That He Is Near " 49 

VII. " Watch Ye Therefore " 54 

VIII. Great Deceptions 60 

IX. Prophetic Outlines 70 

X. The Good News of the Kingdom to All the World 74 

XL A Remarkable Century 78 

XII. The Bible among the People 96 

XIII. The Gospel's Progress 107 

XIV. What Many People Shall Say 117 

XV. The Prevalence of Crime — A Sign of Our Times . 128 

XVI. Judgment Is Turned Away Backward 134 

XVII. The Earth Is Filled with Violence 151 

XVIII. "The Social Vice" 159 

XIX. Maintaining the Form but Denying the Power . 171 

XX. " Lovers of Pleasure " 183 

XXL Ye Have Heaped Treasure for the Last Days . 190 

XXII. And the Nations Were Angry 214 

XXIII. Divine Restraint of the Spirit of War .... 258 

XXIV. The Voice of the Elements 264 

XXV. The Testimony of the Earth 282 

XXVI. " When Ye Shall See All These Things " . . . 292 

XXVII. And There Shall Be a Time of Trouble . . . 297 

XXVIII. The Earth Was Lightened by His Glory .... 307 

XXIX. A Refuge in This Time of Distress 315 

XXX. The Seven Last Plagues 322 

XXXI. Our Refuge and Fortress 330 

XXXII. The Triumphant Victory and Everlasting Reward 336 

XXXIII. In This Generation . 348 

iii 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE. 

The morning cometh Frontispiece. 

"Watchman, what of the night ?" (chapter heading) 13 

Society banded into factions 14 

The dove of peace lies wounded and dying 15 

What will be the end of all these threatening dangers ? 16 

The long roll sounding 17 

The Omnipotent Power that balances the world in space 18 

Earthquakes and tidal waves 19 

He will come again (chapter heading) 21 

"All that are in the graves shall hear His voice" 22 

Drifting toward the vortex , 24 

Heralds trumpeting the morning . 25 

The Consoler . . 27 

Shoals and rocks along the farther shore 31 

"This same Jesus" (chapter heading) . . . . . . 33 

"Behold how He loved him" 34 

"At the pool of Siloam " 35 

Shall so come in like manner 39 

"And He shall send His angels " 40 

"Shall so come in like manner" 41 

We may not know the hour (chapter heading) 45 

"The swelling of the buds in the spring-time" 46 

"As a thief in the night" 47 

Know that He is near (chapter heading) 49 

Watch ye therefore (chapter heading) 54 

The magicians in Moses' time , . ; 57 

Great deceptions (chapter heading) 60 

A charmer 65 

The Shepherd 69 

Prophetic outlines (chapter heading) 70 

The good news of the kingdom sent to all the world (chapter heading) .... 74 

A remarkable century (chapter heading) 78 

Overland in the '40's 80 

Overland to-day 81 

The Brooklyn Bridge r 83 

The "Lucania" 84 

The ship of yesterday 85 

Ocean liner leaving dock 86 

A great railway station 87 

The old "Franklin hand-press" 88 

"Imagine Franklin's surprise" 89 

Robert Fulton 90 

Samuel F. B. Morse . , . . 90 

Peter Cooper . . '. .... 90 

Charles Goodyear 91 

Sir Henry Bessemer , 91 

C. H. M'Cormick ' 91 

James Watt 9 2 

Thomas Edison , ® 92 

Cyrus W. Field 93 

iv 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. V 

Laying the Atlantic cable , 93 

Combined harvester and thresher 94 

The Bible among the people (chapter heading) 96 

Grain was cut with the cradle-scythe 97 

The steam hammer at work 98 

"Hammer, anvil, and forge" 99 

"Boots and shoes were slowly made by hand " 99 

The knitting machine ... 100 

"Were knit by hand " . . , 100 

"To-day she has a machine" . . 101 

"The simple needle and thimble were the implements" 101 

The carpenter did everything by hand 102 

The dim light of the candle . . 102 

"Our writing was done with a pen" 103 

To-day the typewriter dots it more rapidly 103 

" Let the floods clap their hands" ... 105 

The Gospel's progress (chapter heading) .......... 107 

Bible house, New York 108 

British and Foreign Bible Society's building, London 111 

Corner in Bible storeroom 112 

Bible Society, Shanghai, China 113 

Bible cart, Japan 114 

Bible boat, Siam . . 116 

"What many people shall say" (chapter heading) 117 

The prevalence of crime a sign of our times (chapter heading) 128 

"Lot went out of Sodom" 129 

"As it was in the days of Noah" 130 

"Judgment is turned away backward" (chapter heading) 134 

The earth is filled with violence (chapter heading) 151 

"The social vice" (chapter heading) 159 

"He that is without sin among you" 167 

Maintaining the form but denying the power (chapter heading) 171 

"Lovers of pleasure" (chapter heading) .... . 183 

Ye have heaped treasure for the last days (chapter heading) 190 

An alley of poverty, Chicago 194 

Lodging-house for the poor 195 

"Misery exists in these sweat-shops" . . . 206 

And the nations were angry (chapter heading) 214 

Evolution of the battle-ship 217 

The British navy 219 

War-ships of the world 220 

Battle-ship Iowa ' 222 

Cross-section of revolving turret 223 

Washington gun factory 224 

Interior of gun shop 225 

Big cannon on specially constructed steel car 226 

Battle of Manila 227 

Marine gun 229 

Maxim automatic machine gun 230 

Nine-pounder machine gun 231 

French quick-fire field gun 231 

Range finder 232 

Mortar elevated for firing 233 

Section of mortar battery in action . . 233 

Actual penetration of tri tl shot from big gun 234 

Effect of modern cannon on steel plate 234 

Results of armor plate tests • . 235 

Dudley pneumatic dynamite gun 236 



VI LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

The 15-inch pneumatic dynamite gun 237 

Grains of slow-burning powder 238 

Blowing up of the Maine 240 

Battle-ship Maine after the explosion . .... . 241 

Ten-inch gun being fired from disappearing carriage 242 

Gun on disappearing carriage, lowered, ready for aiming 243 

On a Chinese war-ship 246 

Japanese sailors working rapid-fire gun , ■ . . 247 

Battle of Santiago 251 

Divine restraint of the spirit of war (chapter heading) 258 

The voice of the elements (chapter heading) 264 

"Fire and pillars of smoke" 266 

"All the birds of the heavens fled" 267 

" The foundations of the earth do shake" 268 

"The land shall be utterly emptied" 269 

"The whole land shall be desolate " 272 

"The cyclone, whirling with terrific fury" 273 

"Storms of hail" 274 

' And the waters shall overflow" 275 

"The Lord turneth it upside down " 276 

The testimony of the earth (chapter heading) 282 

" When ye shall see all these things " (chapter heading) 292 

"When the Son of Man shall come in His glory" 295 

And there shall be a time of trouble (chapter heading) 297 

The earth was lightened with his glory (chapter heading) 307 

I saw another angel having great power 309 

A refuge in this time of distress (chapter heading) 315 

The seven last plagues (chapter heading) ... 322 

The first angel poured out his vial on the earth 324 

"The second angel poured out his vial upon the sea" 325 

"The third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters" . 326 

" The fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun" 327 

"The fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast " ... . . 328 

' The sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates". 328 

"The seventh angel poured out his vial into the air" 329 

"Our refuge and fortress" (chapter heading) 330 

He brought His people out of that dark land 333 

The triumphant victory and everlasting reward (chapter heading) ........ 336 

In this generation (chapter heading) 348 

The navigators locating their vessel 350 

Measuring the movements of the heavenly bodies 351 

Receiving the book of prophecy 353 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING. 



'• Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord 
doeth ; but I have called you niends ; for all things that I have heard of My Father I 
have made known unto you. 

''Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye 
should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever 
ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you." — The Apostle John. 



FOREWORD 



Among the most expressive and beautiful words of the 
English language, is the noble, tender term, "Home." Among 
the sweetest songs ever sung by loving lips, is " Home, Sweet 
Home," given to a needy world by one who never had a home, 
yet whose heart ever cried out for what the world never gave 
him. His very homelessness voiced sweeter and deeper the 
longing of every true human heart. 

Among the blessed occurrences that surround the home, "be 
it ever so humble," is the "home-coming" of loved ones. This 
is especially true when a loving father has been long gone and 
is about to return. What thought and action it arouses and 
inspires. How it quickens heart and eye and tongue and foot. 
How often and anxious the inquiries of the mother as to when 
he is coming. What preparations are begun to welcome him. 
How short the days seem to do the work which ought to be 
done. How long the days seem when the separation is brought 
to mind. How slowly roll Time's chariot wheels. Over and 
over say the children: " Father is coming, the best, the strongest, 
the wisest friend on earth. He is bringing back for each one 
of us some beautiful and appropriate gift. He has sent various 
gifts during his absence, he will bring better ones this home- 
coming, and bestow them with his own hands; and, best of all, 
he himself will come. We shall look into the eyes that have so 
many years looked upon us in love. We shall be clasped by 
the hand that helped and sheltered and shielded us in trouble 
and danger. He will call us by name, fold us in his arms, and 
kiss us glad greeting. And then, too, he will take us to a better 
home for a while till this home is made far more beautiful than 
we have ever dreamed it could be made." 

9 



1 FOREWORD 

Thus the thoughts of the loving children run on, and the 
glad mother recounts the nobleness of character in times ante 
dating the children. At last preparation is over, the last touch 
is given, and mother and children lovingly, impatiently, wait. 
Surely there is no event in that home like the home-coming of 
the one who is to all the others chiefest in the household. 

We all know it to be at least ideally true; yet it is but a faint 
picture of a greater, more far-reaching, more blessed, spiritual 
fact, around which cluster all the greater glorious events of the 
Christian life. 

" The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof." He 
made it to be a glorious home forever for the family of man. But 
sin entered, and the home was marred, and the trail of the ser- 
pent may be traced over the fairest of earth's domain. With 
the entrance of sin came death, and the earth, designed as the 
abode of the living, would have become a vast charnel-house 
had it not been for the constant, abundant blessings of grace 
poured out upon it from the inexhaustible storehouse on high. 

"When the fulness of time came," the Son of God, with all- 
glorious divinity veiled in humanity, truly God and truly man, 
came unto His own, but "His own received Him not." The 
vast majority would not receive Him as the only Saviour. But 
earnest souls did receive Him, and found Him to be the Son of 
God, the Saviour, Friend, and Brother of men. 

Before He went away He told them He would come again, — 
that His going away would be like that of a nobleman who 
" went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and 
to return." As priest on the Father's throne, Jesus Christ, 
through angelic and human ministers, has been gathering out 
subjects for His everlasting kingdom — this earth made new by 
God's creative power. That work is about completed; the long 
roll of the ages is nearly finished; the characters inscribed "be- 
fore the foundation of the world" "in the Lamb's book of life" 
are nearly all wrought out; the tested and polished stones for 



FOREWORD I I 

the eternal, spiritual temple of God are Rearing the end of their 
numbering; the gifts of His Spirit, brought anew into exercise 
in His church, will soon perfect that church, that He may pre- 
sent her to Himself, a beautiful church, "not having spot or 
wrinkle or any such thing," but "holy and without blemish," 
clad in the robes of His own glory. And then comes the Home- 
coming of the Master, the triumphant, glorious finale of all 
earth's sorrow and travail. The Master of the house comes to 
remove for a time to the heavenly mansions His loved ones, 
while the marred and blasted earth passes through its last stage 
of disintegration prior to its re-creation as the eternal home of 
the souls saved by grace. " The bondservant [of sin, Satan and 
his own] abideth not in the house forever; the Son [Christ and 
His own] abideth forever." And Christ is coming to complete 
the great and all-absorbing work of the universe, the vindication 
of the character of God and the salvation of every trusting, 
faithful soul. 

And, reader, this unworthy foreword only serves as an introduc- 
tion to the pages following, written by my friend and brother, Asa 
Oscar Tait. In them are arrayed some of the many evidences 
of God's Word which show that the great Home-coming of our 
Lord and Master is nigh. In plainest, clearest language, by 
illustration and quotation, are the evidences rehearsed, fortified 
and demonstrated. "Christ is coming" is the fitting close to 
every chapter. The whole work is vibrant with the intensity 
of the times through which we are passing. Read its pages, 
ponder its sublime and awful facts, receive its truth, and then 
when the great drama shall have closed, you will be among 
those who shall, with glad hearts filled with heavenly melody, 
welcome the Home-coming of the King. 

Milton C. Wilcox 

Editorial Rooms 

"Signs of the Times" 
Oakland^ Cal. 




M 



CHAPTER ONE 

ANY serious problems, social 
and political, are confronting 
the world. These problems 
are not mere theories in the minds 
of fanatical enthusiasts, neither are 

they confined within the narrow limits of one or two nations, 
but thoughtful men everywhere see the dangers that are threat- 
ening the whole world, and are in dread before the alarming 
conditions of our time. As we meet persons on the street, in 
the shop, on board the train, — anywhere and everywhere, in 
this nation and in that, — we find them earnestly and seriously 
discussing the portents of danger that thicken as the days 
pass by. 

The great amassing of wealth by a few men in each of the 
various nations of earth is without a parallel in history. The 
consequent murmurings of the discontented classes strikingly 
remind one of the turbulent conditions in France on the eve 
of her great Revolution and Reign of Terror. 

On every one of the three hundred and sixty-five days of 
the year, the newspapers come to us laden with their recital 
of crime. Murder is of daily occurrence. Highway robbery, 

13 



H 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 




\ 



l ' • r^: 



//r'P 



Society has banded itself into factions and organizations, each struggling 
to gain the mastery. 



bold and arrogant, as well as petty thievery, is a source of 
continual annoyance, and to many persons it is a cause of 
dread and fear. Embezzlers, defaulters, bribers, and bribe- 
takers have become alarmingly numerous. Millions of dollars 
are every year fraudulently taken by these, the basest of all 
methods. 

Our large cities in particular, and most of the smaller places 
in general, are filled with immorality and vice. Drunkenness 
is every year hurling a vast multitude to the lowest depths of 
debauching degradation. Public houses of prostitution disgrace 
our streets, and to this open shame must be added the daily 
records of broken marriage vows along with all the rest of this 
unspeakable torrent of pollution. 

These various social cancers have so completely polluted the 
very fountains of society that many conclude that honesty and 
straightforward integrity are only the ideals of dreamers. The 
money-god is so supreme in the mind that it is confidently 
asserted that "every man has his price." "Only approach him 
in the right way, and offer him the proper bribe," it is affirmed, 
"and he will yield." Everywhere is heard the mocking jeer at 
the thought of any one possessing absolute virtue and purity. 

Reformers, filled with noble impulses, have sought for the 



WATCHMAN, WHAT OF THE NIGHT? 1 5 

cause of all this evil that is coming in like a deluge. They 
have attempted to drive out the houses of shame and to abolish 
the dens of vice and crime. But on the very threshold of their 
efforts they are met with the appalling fact that the officers of 
the law are to an alarming extent in league with this vile and 
criminal class. Hence the detection and arrest of the criminal 
is becoming more and more difficult. And even if he is 
arrested, technicalities and quibbles, prolonged through one 
court after another, defeat the purpose of the law, and make 
"courts of justice" a mockery. In consequence of this condi- 
tion of things, mobs are becoming very common and violent, 
and lynchings are rapidly increasing; and, incredible though it 
may seem, men occupying high stations in life are upholding 
"this lynch form of executing justice." 

It passes without contradiction that politics has become a 
sort of disreputable business, at which men work for the 
"boodle" there is in it. From the lowest offices in the village 
or township on up to many of the highest positions of the state 
and nation, bribery and fraud are freely used to elect the candi- 
date who will be the most lavish in dividing the "spoils of 
office" among his political friends. Yet instead of this condi- 
tion of things exciting a healthful and wide-spread sense of 
indignation and protest, it is altogether too generally treated 
with jesting and indifference. 

We have been promised that the field of politics would 
produce statesmen — diplomats, who, by their powers of arbi- 
tration rather than by the 
sword, would keep the na- 
tions of earth in the highway 
of peace. Indeed, it has 
been a dearly-cherished \ 
thought — -and all should \ 
applaud such kindly, hu- 
mane Sentiments that The dove of peace lies wounded and dying 




i6 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



the civilization of the morning 
of the twentieth century would 
form an impregnable fortifica- 
tion, beyond which the barbar- 
ities of war would never go. 
But instead of the realization 
of these exalted hopes, we hear 
the long roll sounding; the 
greatest armies that the world 
has ever known are falling into 
line and the most formidable 
navies known to history are 
patrolling the seas. The weap- 
ons of modern warfare are 
sufficient, it would seem, to 
inspire terror in the bravest 
breast; but notwithstanding 
the destructiveness of the 
present war implements, there 
is no lack of men — and women 
too, for that matter — who are 
impatiently eager to exchange 
the pursuits of peace for the 
camp and battle-field. 

There is to-day a general 
quarreling among the nations, 
and they are straining every 
resource to increase their for- 
tifications, armies, and navies. 
Settling like a heavy cloud 
over the minds of men, there 
is a deepening conviction that 
a universal war can not be 
averted. The suddenness with which the nations of the whole 




What is the world coming to? What will be 
the end of all these threatening dangers ? 



WATCHMAN, WHAT OF THE NIGHT? I J 

world are inflamed to the point of the war-fever gives evidence 
of the pent-up volcanoes of strife; and the fearful carnage and 
final results, should this international war spirit develop such a 
conflict, are a source of much uneasiness and deep concern. 

When computing the perplexities of open warfare among 
the nations, account must also be taken of the various internal 
factions that threaten the national life of every kingdom, empire, 
and republic. Society has banded itself into factions and organ- 
izations, each struggling to gain the mastery, and this struggle 
is marked by a notably growing intensity and a manifestly 
increasing belligerant determination. All the world powers 
are contending with their discontented revolutionary elements 
at home, yet anxiously struggling to keep them united for the 
still greater contest in the field of international strife. 

While these topics of the social and political world are 
presenting so. many strange and perplexing features, "old 
mother earth " herself has laid aside her usually quiet habits, and 
is participating in the general unrest. Cyclones and hurricanes, 
earthquakes and tidal waves, and strikingly fearful volcanic 
action are no longer among the unusual things, neither are they 
confined to a few localities. But storm-swept land, bursting 
mountain, and lashing ocean tell us in unmistakable language 
that the days of earth's tranquility are at an end. 

These things, together with others that will suggest them- 
selves to the reader, are leading many anxious minds to inquire: 
"What is the world coming to? What will be the end 
of all these threatening dangers?" Book after book, 
discussing the various phases of the situation, is 




We hear the long roll sounding:, and the greatest armies that the world has ever known are 
falling into line. 
2 



1 8 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 




The omnipotent power that balances the great sys- 
tems of worlds in space, can alone stay the mind. 

published; magazines and papers 
devoted entirely to the subject of 
<.. remedying the social and political 

:.^A__.. ..:,- '- ^ — ■ **-—- ^ ev il s f our t ; me are constantly 

sent out; and there is scarcely a speaker or writer, no matter 
what his field of research or labor, but is frequently drawn 
aside to give words of caution, admonition, or suggestion 
concerning- the common danger. 

But despite all these discussions, and the exposures of crimi- 
nality that are made, the difficulties continue to increase. As 
one editor of a leading daily suggests, crime is exposed, and 
the criminals are pointed out, but all to no purpose. They 
are still permitted to continue in their evil career, apparently 
without shame and beyond remorse. Many thoughtful and 
highly-educated men are seriously saying that unless this deluge 
of crime, turbulence, and discontent can be allayed, the whole 
world will surely plunge into a revolution that will render insig- 
nificant the most fearfully bloody scenes that history records. 

The foregoing is not a statement of theory, but a presen- 
tation of existing facts. The densest darkness of the night of 
sin and crime is surely enshrouding the world. 



WATCHMAN, WHAT OF THE NIGHT ?. 



19 



The scientist seeks for the cause of the frequently recur- 
ring volcanic activity, earthquake, cyclone, and storm, but his 
wisest solutions afford no shelter. In the presence of nature's 
sublime and awful convulsions the hand and mind of man 
shrink to the infinity of nothingness. The omnipotent Power 
that balances the great systems of worlds in space can alone 
stay the mind and keep alive the spark of courage in the 
heart when the most substantial structures of men are tossed 
about as grains of sand, and the mountains themselves are 
trembling because of the forces that are loosened within. The 
tremblings of earth amid the commotions of the elements and 
the unsettled condition of society, force the conviction, de- 
spite ourselves, that here we have no secure abiding place. 

There is no denying the fact that these conditions, which 
are so apparent in all the world to-day, 
form a very dark picture, and we may 
seek to close the avenues to the 
mind so that we will not see it; 
but shutting the eyes while drift- 
ing toward the vortex, indu- 
ces only a delirious dream 
of securitv, which renders 
our destruction doubly 
sure. 

The dark picture that 
the actual facts disclose 
needs to be seen with a 
clear and unfaltering eye 
so that we may turn from it 
to behold, appreciate, and 
possess, another, whose 
landscape is the blossom- 
ing- bowers of the inde- „„ .. . .' . . 

o Earthquakes and tidal waves are no longer 

scribable Eden, and whose unusual things." 




20 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



halo of glory is brilliantly reflecting the saphires and emeralds, 
the jaspers and crysolites, of the eternal city of God. 

Despite every foreboding outlook, there is an approaching 
day. There are heralds that are unmistakably trumpeting 
the dawn of a morning into which every dazzling orb of 
the universe will flash some splendid rays. He who is the 
" Root and Offspring of David" is also the ''bright and morn- 
ing Star," and He has promised to come in person to put an 
end eternally to this perplexity, distress and evil. No one 
who trusts himself to the care of the Omnipotent will be in- 
volved in the impending ruin. 

To know this great truth of the Lord's second coming 
really and fully, and to have the bright picture of the second 
advent become a soul-satisfying reality, lightens every dark 
cloud and dissipates every terrorizing danger of this turbulent 
world. These dark clouds and threatening dangers will then 
appear as mere atoms that can never reach even the horizon 
of our divinely bequeathed haven of security and power. 

What a consolation it is to know that we have such a 
faithful Friend ! What an indiscribable peace and rest floods 
the soul as we cast our anchor in the secure haven of Him 
who is the Almighty! 

An examination of the sure and living promises of His 
Word will disclose the fact that they are life, and joy, and 
peace to us, and especially so in this time of strife and storm. 




: — i V — — — . , ■ < » ' 

HE WILL COME AGAIN 







CHAPTER TWO 



LOOKING at the distressing conditions prevalent in the 
world to-day, and seeing these things alone, the mind is 
filled with dark forebodings. But we should not look 
upon these dark things alone. They should be viewed through 
the prophecies and promises of the Word of God. As we turn 
to that Word, we find that the second coming of Christ has 
been set forth as the cheering banner of hope. The Word 
abounds in promises of that event. To all who may be led to 
trust Him the Master sends the joyful proclamation: "Let not 
your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in Me. 
In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I 
would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if 
I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive 
you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." 
John 14: 1-3. 

By studying the latter part of the thirteenth chapter of John 
it will be seen that the Lord, while sitting with His disciples at 
that memorable "last supper," on the very night when He was 
betrayed to be crucified, had been telling them that He was to 
be taken away from them for a time. This statement filled 
their hearts with sadness. But the Master does not leave 
them in despair. He at once gives, not only to them but to 



21 



22 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



us also, that most precious promise, "I will 
come again, and receive you unto Myself." 

Again, after the Crucifixion, and at the 
time of His ascension, while the disciples 
were yet intently looking into the heav- 
ens, whither He was going, angels of God 
were commissioned to say to them: "Ye 
men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up 
into heaven? This same Jesus, which is 
taken up from you into heaven, shall so 
come in like manner as ye have seen Him 
go into heaven." Acts 1:11. Note the 
promise, It is "this same Jesus." 

The disciples had found in Jesus the 
"Desire of all nations." Their hungry 
souls had feasted on the words of life th 
He uttered, and they were resting in the 
inexpressible joy experienced by those 
who are conscious of pardoned sin and 
the invigorating powers of a renewed 
life. Naturally they desired to A 
have Him remain with them. But, M 
although they had tasted the bliss /J§ 
of a Christian's happy experi- 
ence, they had not as yet 
grown into that fulness of 
faith and knowledge that 
would enable them to 
comprehend all that 
the Master had 



been seeking to 
instil into their 
minds. Thev did 
not understand the 



■ 




"The hour is com- 
ing in the which 
all that are in the 
graves shall hear 
His voice." 



HE WILL COME AGAIN 23 



great truth, although it had been so plainly stated by the , 
Saviour, "'It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go 
not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I 
depart, I will send Him unto you." John 16:7. 

The Lord states His truth in plain language; but it takes 
time for it to be assimilated by the human mind. And when 
that truth has to uproot prejudices and errors of long standing, 
the task is a most difficult one. The idea that at His first 
advent the Messiah was to establish a temporal kingdom, and 
by force of arms overthrow the Romans, thus relieving the 
Jews from a foreign yoke, though a false hope, was dearly 
cherished and firmly fixed. So deeply entrenched was the 
thought that Christ was to be a temporal king and reign in 
Judea, that all His teaching to the contrary had not fully driven 
this delusion from the minds of even the disciples themselves. 
For in His last conversation with them (a conversation which 
took place after His crucifixion and resurrection), and on the 
very occasion when He made His ascension to His Father's 
throne, it is stated that "they asked of Him, saying, Lord, 
wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" 
Acts 1 : 6. 

The Master had taken particular pains to make it plain to 
all that His first advent was to be a time of hardship and 
suffering, finally culminating in His death on the cross. He 
had pointed to His resurrection, and expounded the prophecies 
that foretell the subsequent long night of darkness through 
which the church would have to pass; and finally He had dwelt 
upon the great event of His second coming, to put an end to 
sorrow, suffering, and sin. 

But the disciples had not understood nor realized the signifi- 
cance of the words of their Lord. Their minds were still 
engrossed with the idea of a temporal kingdom to be estab- 
lished then and there, in which the Lord would be King and 
they would act a prominent part. It seemed impossible to 



24 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 




But shutting their eyes 
while drifting- toward the 
vortex, only induces a de- 
lirious dream of security. 

draw their minds away from this cher- 
ished error to the exalted sphere of the 
divine plan. Gods ways and plans 
are always best; but how hard it is for fallen 
humanity to surrender the false and accept the 
true! So the Father permitted the disciples with 
/ their natural eyes to behold their Saviour as He 

made His ascension to the heavenly throne. Thus 
He forever cut off all possible hope of a temporal reign 
of the Messiah over the Jewish nation in Palestine. 
Then while their minds were the most impressible, 
while they were yet with amazement watching their ascending 
Lord, the angels were bidden to remind them that "this same 
Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in 
like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." Acts I : 1 1. 
What a lesson of tender solicitude for the needs of His chil- 
dren is here given! And how impressive is the thought that 
God will exhaust every means to elevate our minds from the 
bewitching entanglements of error to a knowledge and full 
enjoyment of His exalted truth! 

From this scene of their Lord's ascension the privileged 
disciples retired to engage in careful meditation and earnest 
prayer. They tarried in their private lodgings at Jerusalem 
until the words of truth so carefully planted in their minds 



HE WILL COME AGAIN 



25 



by the Master had prer 
pared their hearts for the 
baptism of the Holy 
Spirit. Then error was 
driven out; and truth, 
enthroned within, was 
permitted to occupy its 
rightful place. Then 
they could proclaim with 
power a crucified and 
risen Saviour; they could 
present with confidence 
the sinner's never- failing- 
hope, telling to all that 
the chains of sin and 
death were forever bro- 
ken. Yes; and they 
knew the promise, too, 
that "this same Jesus" 
will "come again. 5 ' 

This glorious hope 
of the second coming of 
Christ is a theme that 
has called out the most 
sublime utterances of the 
inspired writers in all the 
ages. Of one of the 
prophets who walked 
with God, it is said: — 

"Enoch also, the sev- 
enth from Adam, proph- 
esied of these, saying, 
Behold, the Lord cometh 
with ten thousands of His saints." 




There are heralds that are unmistakably trumpeting 
the dawn of a morning. 



Jude 14. 



26 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

This is a part of one of the sweet songs of the psalmist : 
"Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and the 
voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a 
joyful noise before the Lord, the King. Let the sea roar, and 
the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. 
Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills be joyful together 
before the Lord; for He cometh to judge the earth; with 
righteousness shall He judge the world, and the people with 
equity. 5 ' Ps. 98:5-9. 

The "Gospel prophet" declares: "And it shall be said in 
that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and 
He will save us; this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, 
we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." Isa. 25:9. 

Our Master Himself assures us: "The hour is coming, in 
the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and 
shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resur- 
rection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrec- 
tion of damnation." John 5:28, 29. 

The great apostle to the Gentiles avers: "For the Lord 
Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the 
voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God; and the 
dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and 
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, 
to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the 
Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 
1 Thess. 4:16-18. 

And thus proclaims the beloved disciple from rock-bound 
Patmos: "Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall 
see Him, and they also w T hich pierced Him; and all kindreds 
of the earth shall wail because of Him." Rev. 1.7. 

"And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled 
together; and every mountain and island were moved out of 
their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, 
and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, 




THE CONSOLER 



HE WILL COME AGAIN 29 

and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the 
dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the moun- 
tains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him 
that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 
for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be 
able to stand?" Rev. 6:14-17. 

"And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, 
to give every man according as his work shall be." "He 
which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. 
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Rev. 22:12, 20. 

Could promise and positive statement be made in more 
forcible or explicit language than is used in the foregoing 
scriptures? Study each one of these texts closely and observe 
just what they say. When a scripture is so very plain as are 
these promises of the second coming of the Lord, comment is 
unnecessary. Have it to say that you see the cheering truth 
of the Saviour's glorious advent in the promises of His own 
Word, rather than in the comments that some one may have 
made upon that Word. Not only is Jesus coming again, but 
He is coming as the Saviour of all who have not persistently 
rejected the sinner's Friend. For "Christ was once offered 
to bear the sins of manv; and unto them that look for Him 
shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation." 
Heb. 9:28. 

The One who has inspired all the foregoing promises is 
no less a personage than He who created the universe. He 
possesses in Himself all the power that holds in place the vast 
world on which we live, guiding it in harmony with the count- 
less number of vaster worlds which He is also sustaining and 
directing in space. In considering a statement or promise it 
is also proper to consider the power and ability of the one 
who makes it. Surely the One who has made this wealth of 
promises that Jesus the Lord will come again, has a towering 
abundance of power to sustain Him in making good His Word. 



30 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



Therefore even though the world be filled with distress 
and wo, so that brave-hearted men tremble before the threat- 
ening evil, yet are there heralds of the coming morning. The 
Master has promised to return, and all who know Him are 
longing for the time to come. 

Hence we may expect to find as we study the prophecies 
that accompany these promises of His coming, that all the 
disasters and dangers we see threatening the world are nothing 
more than the shoals and rocks that lie along the farther shore 
of time. They are not to be dreaded since we have taken the 
Master Pilot on board. They are only the visible and evident 
tokens that we have sighted the land of our eternal Eden 
home. What a joy is this knowledge ! What an anchor of 
rest to the soul! 





4) 

X. 

SP'eo 

s y 






y o 



<L» O *~ _,_, 






>> u 

H V 

Ifl o ~ «i 

> v c « 
to .a .5 -*- 



ttf 


E 
■B 


o 


<U 


rt 


CJ 


rt 


-a 


s- 


1* 

o 


c 


o 


Cfl 


> 


rt 


s 


s~ 


csj 


C/} 




OJ 




Ih 


M J= 


5J 


V 












w 


is 


ifl 


.fi 


43 


»> 


o 


0) 


o 


-5 


B 


,c 


- 


u 


if 


* J 


'3 


u 


bd 

B 


-a 


— 


2 





TJ 


< 


— 
o 
5 


3 

4J 


(LI 


~* 


— 


-5 




CHAPTER THREE 



SAID the angel, "This same Jesus, . . . shall so come 
in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven. 
Acts i : ii. 
It is the "same Jesus" who was here in person, that is 
coming again in person. All that He was when He was 
here lie will be when He comes again, only He will come 
in the manifestation of His glory, rather than in the mani- 
festation of His meekness and lowliness. 

It is the privilege of every one to look forward to His 
coming with a perfect joy, for does not the Word of God 
proclaim to all the world that Christ is the sinner's Friend ? 
Every act of His self-sacrificing life was a living expression 
of the great truth that He loves us. As we read the Gospel 
story, we are touched by the deep compassion of the Saviour, 
and the tenderness with which He devoted Himself to fallen 
man. He came so close to us, and became so fully identified 
with us, that He is "touched with the feeling of our infirmi- 
ties." Heb. 4: 15. And when we are overwhelmed with sin 
and grief and pain, and know that there is no human friend 
that can understand us and give us sympathy and help, and 
even though words may fail us in expressing our distressed 
and perplexing condition, yet we may come with confidence 
to our Redeemer, and tell Him that we know He understands 
us fully. We can say to Him that He "feels" our "infirmities," 
and that He knows from a personal experience how to apply 

33 



34 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 




the healing balm to our 
aching hearts. Oh, what 
a sympathizing Saviour! 
See Him at Bethesda, 
seeking for the lonely 
sufferer who said, "I 
have no man, when the 
water is troubled, to put 
me into the pool; but 
while I am coming, 
another steppeth down 
before me." The active, 
throbbing power of life 
was in the words that the 
great Physician spoke to 
this afflicted and friend- 
less man; and he found 
complete healing for 
every ailment in the 
command of the Master, 
"Rise, take up thy bed, 
and walk." John 5 : 7, 8. 
Why did the Lord pass 
by all others, and seek 
out this friendless and 
helpless one? Oh, it is 
because He has so closely united Himself with humanity that 
Wz. feels our weakness and distress! How gracious! how con- 
siderate! how tender! 

On another occasion we find Him at the tomb of Lazarus. 
About Him are the sorrowing sisters and friends of the dead. 
He feels the grief that rends their sad hearts, and not only 
their affliction, but pressing upon His soul of love is all the 
sadness to be wrought by sin and death adown the ages. The 



' Behold how He loved 
him. John n : 36." 



THIS SAME JESUS. 



35 



record says, "Jesus wept." John 11:35. What a universe 
of meaning to us now, as well as to them, is summed up in 
these two short words! In His tender, all-comprehending love 
the heart of the Creator is touched, and His sympathetic grief 
commingles with that of His creatures. Is it any wonder 
that the Jews standing by said, " Behold how He loved Him"? 
And yet it was not alone love for Lazarus or his sisters which 
moved the heart of Jesus, but love for the mourning, suffering, 
and afflicted out of all the ages. And well may we all join 
the apostle in saying that 
"God commendeth His 
love toward us, in that, 
while we were yet sinners, 
Christ died for us." Rom. 

5:3. 

Thus we may follow 
the Master all through, His 
devoted life, and always do 
we find Him mingling with 
the people, sharing their 
joys and their sorrows, 
relieving their distress, and 
healing their sick. He 
gave Himself without any 
reserve to humanity — the 
great object of His love. 
This love was not quenched 
even when cruel hands 
and sin-hardened hearts 
were mercilessly torturing 
Him on the cross. Even 
there He poured out the 
prayer, " Father, forgive 

them* for they lcilOW <<At Bcthesda, seeking for the lonely sufferei." 




36 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

not what they do." Then with what a thrill of joy must the 
words come to us, "This same Jesus, which is taken up from 
you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen 
Him go into heaven." Acts 1 : 11. He is the same Jesus; 
the same compassionate and tender Saviour; the same One 
who "hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows;" He who 
was "wounded for our transgressions," and "bruised for our 
iniquities," and with whose "stripes we are healed." How 
this good news should cause our hearts to overflow with joy! 

He is to "come in like 7nanner as ye have seen Him go." 
Yes, "in like manner? When they saw Him go, he was the 
personal, literal Jesus that they had associated with and loved 
and adored both as their dearest companion and Saviour, and 
"in like manner' He returns: He comes as the same literal, 
personal friend for all who will receive Him. 

The apostle Paul says that "the Lord Himself shall descend 
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and 
with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first." 
1 Thess. 4:16. Then, standing not at the tomb of Lazarus 
only, but in the presence of all the chambers of death in which 
His people are awaiting His summons, the voice of the great 
Victor is heard, and "the dead in Christ" arise. Such is a 
part of the Lord's own description of His coming, and we know 
that He is the same desirable Friend. 

There are many persons who look back with longing desire 
to the time when Jesus was on earth. They would have been 
overjoyed at the privilege of having been with Him then, 
listening to Him speaking as never man had spoken, and 
feeling the rejuvenating touch of his healing power. But these 
same persons are terrified at the thought that the second com- 
ing of the Lord may take place in their day. Perhaps they 
recognize the fact that His second coming ushers in the great 
judgment day, and that the execution of the decisions of that 
majestic tribunal will destroy every sinner out of all the fair 



THIS SAME JESUS $7 

universe of God. It is well to seek to grasp the magnitude 
of the whole truth. It is well to know that the doom of 
every unrepentant sinner will be eternally fixed at the second 
coming of Christ; but we should not make our calculations on 
being among the sinner-class in that great day. We should 
come to Jesus the " sinner's Friend," and have Him cleanse us 
wholly from every taint of sin, so that we may enter into the 
indescribable joy of His second coming. 

The gentleness, the kindness, the sympathy, and all the rest 
of the tender virtues that were so divinely blended in the life of 
Christ our Lord were thus manifested in order that men mi^ht 
behold the goodness of God and so be led to love, espouse, 
and enjoy the right. There is no true joy except in the way 
of righteousness; and it is only when we are clinging to our 
sins and rejecting the repentance, cleansing, and righteousness 
that our Heavenly Father proffers, that we are terrified at the 
thought of meeting face to face the glorified and returning 
world's Redeemer. 

"And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsv, 
lying on a bed; and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick 
of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. 
And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, 
This Man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts 
said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is 
easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and 
walk? But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power 
on earth to forgive sins, (then saith He to the sick of the 
palsy), Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And 
he arose, and departed to his house. And when the multitude 
saw it, they marveled, and glorified God, which hath given such 
power unto men." .Matt. 9:2-8. 

"This same Jesus" is seeking to draw you to Him to-day 
so that He may implant in your heart the living faith that 
was in the "man sick of the palsy," and also in the hearts of 



38 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

them who brought him to Jesus; and just as soon as we open 
the heart for that faith to enter we shall hear from the Word 
of the Lord, "Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven 
thee." When this faith comes into the soul we "know that 
the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins." Not 
only do we know the experience of this forgiving power, but 
we will join in ascribing glory to God who has "given such 
power unto men." 

Then when the cleansing power of the life-blood of Jesus 
has washed away every defilement and stain of sin; when the 
power of God, the Creator of our new life, floods our souls 
with a realizing sense of the fact that we are actually in posses- 
sion of the heavenly gift of righteousness; when we rise into 
the strength and the raptures of this new life of freedom from 
guilt, — then truly do we joy and rejoice in the fact that "this 
same Jesus" is coming again. 

The knowledge that Jesus is coming again, and that He is 
coming soon, is an anchor that holds. With this great hope 
filling the soul, there are no dark forebodings because of the 
evil that is rising like a tidal-wave all over the world; for when 
the dark clouds are hanging so heavily that it would seem 
that all the w 7 orld must soon be swept with a hurricane of 
destruction, then will the Son of God, with all His host of 
shining angels appear, and every waiting, hoping, trusting one 
will be immortalized, to join in swelling the triumphant shout 
of deliverance. 

O, glorious hope! O, glorious day! O, glorious fact that 
the time is near! Speed onward, ye lagging moments, and 
bear to us quickly the glad day when "this same Jesus" shall 
come a^ain. 




CHAPTER FOUR 



WE have already found that the Scriptures make it 
perfectly plain that the "same Jesus" is coming 
again. They are equally clear in telling us that 
"this Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven, shall 
so come in like manner as ye beheld Him going into heaven." 
Acts i : ii, R. V. 

The Master was fulfilling His word by ascending to His 
Father's throne; and right while this was taking place the 
angels present themselves to the disciples to tell them that 
He "shall so come," and in "like manner." 

The manner in which He went away is stated in language 
that is easily understood. "And when He had said these 
things, as they were looking, He was taken up; and a cloud 
received Him out of their sight." Acts 1:9, R. V. It was 
while "they were looking" that the Master departed. He 
had their attention fixed upon Him, for the next verse adds, 
"And while they were looking steadfastly into heaven as He 
went, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; who 
also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into 
heaven? this Jesus, who was received up from you into 
heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye beheld Him 
going into heaven." Acts 1 : 10, 11. R. V. 

39 



40 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 




"And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet." 



The disciples were not only " looking," but they were 
looking "steadfastly" at the Lord Jesus as He went away. 
They must soon be called upon to describe His departing, 
and also to tell of His returning. They must be able to 
explain what they mean by saying He "shall so come in 
like manner." 

They tell us that "He was taken up, and a cloud received 
Him out of their sight." Acts i : 9. Issues of eternal moment 
center in the second coming of Christ, and hence that event 
must not be left to conjecture or speculation. The most def- 
inite, positive, clear knowledge must be given in regard to it ; 
for the great adversary will seek to bewilder the minds of men 
concerning the manner in which the Lord will return. Hence 
everything is made perfectly clear and obvious. 

"A cloud received Him out of their sight" as He went 



SHALL SO COME IN LIKE MANNER 



41 



1 



away. Not only does this text in Acts declare that He will 
"so come in like manner," but other scriptures besides tell 
us that the clouds will attend Him ao-ain when He comes. 
"Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see 
Him, and they also which pierced Him; and all kindreds of 
the earth shall wail because of Him." Rev. 1 : 7. "And then 
shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven ; and then 
shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the 
Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and 
great glory." Matt. 24:30. "And then shall they see the 
Son of Man coming in the couds with great power and glory;" 
Mark 13 : 26. 

These scriptures tell a plain truth in such very definite 
language that there is no need of a mistake. The Lord wants 
us to know just what to look for in His second coming, and we 
need not be imposed upon 
by the sophistries of any 
deception if we are only 
careful to give heed to 
what is revealed in the in- 
spired Book. 

The Word of God goes 
further and tells us that 
when the Redeemer comes 
the second time, the bright- 
est glory will attend Him; 
"for the Son of Man shall 
come in the o^lorv of His 
Father with His angels; 
and then He shall reward 
every man according to his 
works." Matt." 16:27. 
And again: "When the 
Son of Man shall come in 





This same Jesus 



shall so come in like manner. 



42 HERALDS OF THE MORNING. 

His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He 
sit upon the throne of His glory." Matt. 25:31. Mark the 
description of His coming: "The Son of Man shall come in 
the glory of His Father;" and, "the Son of Man shall come 
in His glory T Thus in this event, as in everything else, the 
glory of both the Father and the Son is blended into one 
effulgent harmony. 

And observe that He is not coming alone. For with Him, 
in the shining brightness which God has given to each one 
of them, are "all the holy angels." Speaking of the number of 
the angels, it is said: "I beheld, and I heard the voice of many 
angels around about the throne and the beasts and the elders, 
and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand; 
and thousands of thousands." Rev. 5:11. "Ten thousand 
times ten thousand" is a hundred million. But this is only a 
part of the vast throng; for the prophet immediately adds, 
"And thousands of thousands." 

What a glorious event the second coming of the Lord 
will be! What majestic power and floods of dazzling light 
will shine forth from this mighty host when the Lamb of 
God returns in triumph for the trophies of His grace and 
love! "As the licrhtnino- cometh out of the east, and shineth 
even unto the west ; so shall also the coming of the Son of 
Man be." Matt. 24:27. 

He who is the Creator of every shining luminary in all 
the infinite expanse of space, He who holds in His person 
the power that produces every ray of light that floods the 
systems of the universe, when He comes in person to rescue 
the redeemed from this revolted planet, He will shine with 
a glory to befit that event as well as befitting to the majesty 
of His person. The mind should be aroused to its highest 
capabilities when contemplating the splendor of that soul- 
rejoicing day of the Lord's second coming. Even then our 
limited, finite powers will enable us to grasp but dimly the 



"shall so come in like manner 43 

brilliancy of the glory of the King of kings and Lord of 
lords in this supreme event. 

But the great deceiver does not want us to have a proper 
sense of what the second coming ©f Christ means to this 
sinful world, and therefore he seeks to becloud the minds 
of men in regard to both the nearness of the Master's coming 
and what the event really is. The Saviour tells us, "Many 
shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive 
many." Matt. 24 : 5. But no pretender can ever present to 
the world a literal fulfilment of all the inspired specifications 
that are to mark the coming of the glorified Son of God. 
Still it is said of these "false christs and false prophets" 
that they "shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch 
that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." 
Matt. 24 : 24. 

The Word of God not only gives a faithful description 
of the manner and appearance of the second coming of the 
Lord, but it also unmasks the deceptions by which the enemy 
would ensnare and ruin us. Hence we should be faithful 
students of the Book of books. The ordinary reading of 
the Bible is not sufficient to barricade the heart against the 
deceptions prepared by the evil one for the last days. We 
must literally feed on the divine Word. We must commune 
with God through that Word and by prayer. In this way 
we may become so fully assimilated into His life and character, 
grow into such an intimate friendship with Him, and be made 
so sensible of the power of His coming, that we shall not be 
deceived. We shall know the voice of the true Shepherd, 
and no impostor, be he never so cunning, can possibly lead 
us astray; for when the true Shepherd "putteth forth His 
own sheep, lie goeth before them, and the sheep follow 
Him; for they know His voice. And a stranger will they 
not follow, but will flee from him; for they know not the 
voice of strangers." John 10:4, 5. 



44 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

We know only "this same Jesus;" only Him with the 
perfect character; only Him whose life was so unselfishly 
sacrificed for lost mankind. Only the Son of God, who loved 
me, and gave Himself for me, can ever fill the place that 
He has won in the Christian's heart. A cunning enemy may 
present deceptions, and, among his "great signs and wonders," 
may even show a brilliant spectacle that will cause some to 
think that Christ has already come; but only those will be 
deceived thereby who have rejected or failed to heed the 
warnings of the Word of God. 

Then through faith in His Word receive the Redeemer 
as your personal Saviour. He says, "Behold, I stand at 
the door, and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open 
the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and 
he with Me." Rev. 3:20. And if you court the presence 
of His Holy Spirit and thus allow Him to draw you into 
this intimate association, you will learn to know Him as a 
personal Friend. You will become actually acquainted with 
the real Son of God. And the individual who really knows 
the Friend of sinners, earnestly longs for the day of His 
coming. He carefully observes every herald of the approach- 
ing morn ; and however this world may be filled with terrors, 
and however dark it may be to others, to him it is all lighted 
up by the sure promises that the eternal day is at hand. His 
heart is throbbing for the time, and his eyes are longing to 
behold "this same Jesus," the one object of his joy and love. 



CHAPTER FIVE 



ALTHOUGH the Word of God abounds in promises of 
the second coming of Christ, yet we are told, " Of that 
day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of 
heaven, but My Father only." Matt. 24:36. 

This scripture is so very plain that the truly loyal Christian 
will readily see that it is no part of his work to figure out a 
definite date on which the Lord is to come. The "day and 
hour" of that great event the Father has not seen fit to reveal. 
And we may rest assured that whatever is not made known 
is withheld because of a wise and good purpose. Then we 
should be content to leave all such matters in the hands of 
God, without troubling our minds over them in the least. 

But though the Word of God is very explicit in telling us 
that the "day and hour" of the Saviour's coming have not been 
made known, we shall find that it clearly shows that we may 
know when the event is near. The disciples asked Jesus, 
"What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of 
the world?" Matt. 24:3. The Saviour proceeded to give a 
definite answer to this direct question, and concluded by saying: 
"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: 
and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall 
see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power 
and great glory. And He shall send forth His angels with a 
great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His 
elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 

45 



4 6 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is 
now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that 
the summer is nigh; even so ye also, when ye see all these 
things, know ye that He is nigh, even at the doors." Matt. 

24'3o-33> R- V. 

Luke, in the twenty-first chapter of his Gospel, records this 
same conversation between the disciples and Christ concerning 
His second coming. Speaking of the signs that are to precede 

His advent, the 
Lord says, "When 
these things begin 
to come to pass, 
then look up, and 
lift up your heads; 
for your redemp- 
tion draweth 
nigh." Verse 28. 
Thus the Lord 
foretells certain 
sicrns that are to 

o 

betoken His com- 
ing. He first points us to the signs, and then He declares 
that when these begin to come to pass, we may know for a 
certainty that our redemption is near, and that He is "even 
at the door." The swelling of the buds in the spring-time is 
a never-failing evidence that summer is nigh; and upon the 
Master's own word, the tokens of His coming are to be relied 
upon with the same certainty. 

The language of the apostle Paul is equally clear upon this 
subject: " But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have 
no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly 
that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden 
destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with 




" The swelling of the buds in the 
spring-time." 



WE MAY NOT KNOW THE HOUR 



47 



child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in 
darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are 
all the children of light, and the children of the day; we are 
not of the night, nor of darkness." i Thess. 5 : 1-5. 

From this scripture we readily see that those who stand in 
the light will know "the times and the seasons" of "the day 
of the Lord." Speaking to his "brethren," the apostle says, 
"Yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh 
as a thief in the night." Verse 2. But that great day does 
not thus come upon all; for he says further, "Ye, brethren, 
are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a 
thief." Verse 4. The "brethren" stand in the light, and so 
know "the times and the seasons" of "the day of the Lord." 

Then there will be a class who will say, "Peace and safety," 
and upon whom "sudden destruction cometh;" and another 
class who "are not in darkness," and hence that day does not 




♦'***!;!!! 

»«»•■*•**! 












rS»5# 



'&. 



f 






%&k>£&\ 



As a thief in the night. 



48 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

" overtake them as a thief.'' This destruction comes upon the 
one class because they have chosen to hide away from the 
light, while the others are delivered because they have accepted 
"the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into 
the world." John 1 : 9. For "light is come into the world, and 
men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were 
evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither 
cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But 
he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be 
made manifest, that they are wrought in God/' John 3 : 19-21. 

Those here spoken of who "loved darkness rather than 
light," will very naturally say, "Peace and safety," even though 
in the immediate presence of "sudden destruction;" and while 
they remain in that blinding darkness, they can not see the 
evidence showing that "He is near even at the doors." But 
the psalmist says, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a 
light unto my path." Ps. 119:105. The reverent student who 
will open the heart and mind to the reception of that Word, 
will thereby stand among those who discern the signs of the 
times. 

Our heavenly Father has seen fit to reserve to Himself 
the knowledge of the exact "day and hour" when the Saviour 
will come. But by every sign that foretells that event He who 
is the "Friend of sinners" is now inviting us to prepare for 
His glorious coming, and thus be ready to receive Him with 
joy when He shall "appear the second time without sin unto 
salvation." Heb. 9:28. 

He is coming soon to gather all His people from this world 
of sin. All are entreated to be ready against that time. The 
invitation is, "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life 
freely." How can any one refuse this great salvation, — salva- 
tion from our personal sins now, salvation from the evils of 
this age; and then, at His coming, salvation and eternal bliss 
in the realities of immortal life? 




CHAPTER SIX 

THE scripture quoted at the beginning of the preceding 
chapter is very clear in saying that we may not know 
the hour when the Lord will come. It is equally as 
plain in commanding us to know when He is near. The fact 
should be repeated and emphasized that the Lord Himself tells 
us to know of the time of this great event. We are altogether 
too prone to treat the statements of the Bible as mere matters 
of speculation. 

Greek and Roman literature has been very closely studied 
all through the Christian era; and the habit of those ancient 
philosophers in speculating upon matters of religion has been 
altogether too strongly imbibed by the teachers and adherents in 
general of the Christian faith. We can excuse those men who 
had no light but their speculative philosophies to guide them, 
for making their religion a subject for fanciful dreaming and 
speculative discourse. But the Christian can not be excused in 
taking any such course. We have for the basis of our Chris- 
tian faith the Word of God. He who is the Source and 
Creator of all true wisdom and knowledge, has given us an 
infallible guide, and commanded us to know and understand. 
There are many among the professors of the Christian 

49 



50 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

religion who seem to think that it is almost presumption for 
them to claim to know anything about their faith; hence it 
seems expedient to devote this short chapter to the work of 
emphasizing the thought that we should "know" the facts 
of our faith with the same definiteness that we know the 
facts and principles of our mathematics. We speak of mathe- 
matics as one of the exact sciences. We have tested the accu- 
racy of figures until we understand the definite knowledge of 
this great field of fact; but the same God who is the Author 
of the valuable and accurate and certain science of mathe- 
matics, is also the Author of the Bible. He is not only the 
Author of its soul-uplifting spirituality and infinitely broad and 
high morality, but He is also the Author of its complete, clear, 
definite, and altogether accurate prophecy. Throned in omnip- 
otence and omniscience, His eyes sweep the eternity of the 
future as well as of the past; and with the accuracy that belongs 
only to unerring perfection, He gives us the evidences by which 
we may "know" what is the meaning of the unfolding of the 
events and phenomena that are causing so much concern in 
the world to-dav. 

We know that the problems and evils among the men of 
this time, as well as the unsteady course of the elements so 
violently voiced in volcano, earthquake, tidal wave, and hurri- 
cane, are filling men with a dread for the developments of the 
immediate future. We know this not only because we may 
meet men everywhere who are discussing it, but we have also 
the infallible Word, which says: ''And there shall be signs in the 
sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth 
distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roar- 
ing; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after 
those things which are coming on the earth ; for the powers of 
heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of 
Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." Luke 
21 : 25-27. 



KNOW THAT HE IS NEAR 5 1 

"Men's hearts" are "failing them for fear" because they 
see the things that are coming on the earth. They see the 
"distress of nations, with perplexity;" they hear the "sea and 
the waves roaring," and they are uncertain as to what it means. 
They are unnerved because of the thought of the possibly 
disastrous outcome of it all. But to every one who can be 
reached with God's Word, to every one who will allow the 
seeds of faith to be implanted in his mind and heart, there is 
the cheering message, "When these things begin to come to 
pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemp- 
tion draweth nigh." Luke 21 128. The individual who knows 
what should be known by every one in this day is not down- 
cast because of the issues of this time and the possibilities of 
a general cataclysm next week or next month. No indeed! 
The individual who "knows" is the one who is "looking up," 
and he is filled with rejoicing because he "knows" that his 
redemption is right at hand. 

Everything in all God's great universe shows the precision 
of His accuracy. No science that can justly claim Him as its 
Author is a field for vain and mystic speculation. We enter its 
domain to study for definite truth that can be made practically 
beneficial. Then why should we enter the inviting portals of 
God's great temple of spiritual truth, especially in the realm 
of prophecy, with any other intention than actually to know 
and understand? 

We not only have the prophecy of God's Word plainly 
telling us the meaning of the things that are coming on the 
world, so that we may be able to look up and lift up our heads 
because of our redemption drawing nigh, but we have also the 
assurance of the fact that His Spirit will be our ever-present 
teacher, so that there may be no possibility of mistake. Hear 
the words of the Master upon this point: "Howbeit when 
He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all 
truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He 



52 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

shall hear, that shall He speak; and He will show you things 
to come." John 16:13. How definite and accurate is the 
promise in these words: "He will guide you into all truth," 
and He can guide us into nothing else but truth; for does not 
the text say He is "the Spirit of Truth"? But let it be ever 
remembered that the light with which He guides us is the 
Word of God. "And [take] the Sword of the Spirit, which 
is the Word of God." Eph. 6:17. We must take our stand 
upon the plain words of the Bible, and with the definite "Thus 
saith the Lord" for our eyepiece, we can then call upon the 
Spirit of God and know that "He will" indeed "guide you 
into all truth." 

The verses immediately following the foregoing beautiful 
and assuring promise from the book of John, read: " He shall 
glorify Me; for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it 
unto you. All things that the Father hath are Mine; there- 
fore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it 
unto you." John 16:14, 15. The same divine Spirit of Truth 
that the Master promises shall "guide you into all truth" will 
also take of the things of God and show them unto us. This 
is the statement of God's own Word in the presentation of a 
great spiritual truth. And this spiritual truth is as perfectly 
scientific in its operations as is electricity in its field of action. 
The same God who created the laws that make the flow of the 
electric current possible, and who gave to man the enlighten- 
ment that enabled him to discover these laws, is also the One 
who has given to mankind His Spirit to guide him into a 
knowledge of all the spiritual truth that is spoken in His Word. 
We can not see the electric current, but we may study to know 
the 'aw that it operates upon, and the work it will do when 
allowed properly to operate. And so, while we can not see 
the Spirit of God, yet the Word of God forms the wire over 
which this Spirit comes to us, serving also as the motor 
through which the Spirit performs its definite work. 



KNOW THAT HE IS NEAR 



53 



With these promises of being guided into all truth, and with 
the command of the Master to "know" when He is near, thus 
placed before us in His Word, we should not have any vague 
understanding of the future. For when He commands us to 
know, He also makes it possible for us to know. This definite 
knowledge is in His Word. Let us seek till we find it, and let 
us know that we know it; it is a thing of too much value to be 
neglected or lightly esteemed. 




**#■■>:' I,- 




CHAPTER SEVEN 



AFTER stating- to His disciples that "of that day and 
that hour knoweth no man," the Lord said: "Watch ye 
therefore; for ye know_ not when the Master of the 
house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, 
or in the morning; lest coming suddenly He find you sleep- 
ing. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." 

Mark 13:35-3;. 

Satan is continually waging an active warfare against every 
soul. He is determined that no one shall accept Christ if he 
can possibly prevent it. Says the Scripture, "Wo to the 
inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come 
down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that 
he hath but a short time." Rev. 12:12. As the Lord's com- 
ing draws nearer and nearer, Satan's time for working becomes 
shorter and shorter. And when "He knoweth that he hath but 
a short time," his "great wrath" is manifested by increased and 
cunning deceptions, in order that he may bind as many as 
54 



WATCH YE THEREFORE 55 

possible for the "sudden destruction" that awaits the wicked 
world. By his delusive arts Satan seeks so fully to engross the 
mind in the things of this life that the evidence of our Lord's 
coming will not be seen, even though that evidence stands out 
before the world as an unobscured and blazing light. But we 
are put on our guard against the deceptions of the great adver- 
sary by the ringing words, "Watch," "lest coming suddenly He 
find you sleeping." 

The great necessity of watching when the closing days of 
time are reached, is repeated and emphasized in the Word of 
God. Only by constantly reading and giving heed to these 
warnings can we preserve a realizing sense of their importance. 
By the apostle Paul we are told that " then shall that Wicked 
be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of 
His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His com- 
ing; even Him, whose coming is after ["according to," R. V.] the 
working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 
and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that 
perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that 
they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send 
them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; that 
they all might be damned who believe not the truth, but 
had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thess. 2:8-12. 

Observe with care the warnings in the foregoing scripture. 
"The brightness of His coming," it is stated, "shall destroy" 
"that Wicked." And His "coming is after [or "according to"] 
the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 
and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that 
perish." The Lord's coming, then, we should be particular to 
observe, is "after" ("according to") this deceptive working of 
Satan with such "power "and "deceivableness of unrighteous- 
ness." In other words, when Satan's workings of evil become 
so bad that sure destruction to every living thing must soon 
result, then the Master will appear to end it. Thus is the 



56 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

Lord's coming " according to" the working of Satan. It is in 
and through "them that perish" that Satan works; and it is all 
in consequence of the fact that "they received not the love 
of the truth , that they might be saved." 

So, then, Satan works with power, but he masks himself by 
" deceivableness of unrighteousness; " and this working of the 
enemy becomes fiercer and stronger as we near the end. 
While Satan is working so powerfully, the Father in heaven is 
also sending out His great Gospel truth to save people from 
these deceptions and the consequent destruction; but some, as 
stated in this scripture, receive not "the love of the truth." 
The truth is presented to them; they hear it, and are convicted 
by it; but they do not "love" this Heaven-sent message. 
They prefer to cling to their sinful lusts, and so they doom 
themselves to perish; and in doing this they become a channel 
through which Satan works his masterly deceptions. 

In this connection note the facts set forth in another scrip- 
ture: "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall 
come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, 
boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, 
unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, 
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, 
heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of 
God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; 
from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep 
into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led 
away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come 
to the knowledge of the truth. 

" Now as Jannes and.Jambres withstood Moses, so do these 
also resist the truth; men of corrupt minds, reprobate concern- 
ing the faith. But they shall proceed no further; for their 
folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was." 
2 Tim. 3 : 1-9. 

We are not left in darkness as to the time when the fore- 



WATCH YE THEREFORE 



57 



going scripture applies. It is plainly stated that it is "in the 
last days" and in verses 2-5 are recorded the sins that are the 
occasion of these "last-day" "perils." In verse 8 we are told 
that "as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also 
resist the truth; men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning 
the faith." 

The ancient records of the Jews, as well as the history and 
traditions of many of the Eastern countries, preserve the names 
of Jannes and Jambres. 
They were two of the 
leading magicians, who, 
prompted by the spirit of 
Satan, were able to coun- 
terfeit for a time the mir- 
acles that by the power 
of God Moses wrought 
before Pharaoh. Then 
let it again be observed 
that the text says: " Now 
as Jannes and Jambres 
withstood Moses, so [z. 
e. y in like manner] do 
these also resist the 
truth " How clear the 

prophecy that just as Moses was withstood by the magicians 
in his day, so will the "truth" be resisted by "men of corrupt 
minds," amid the "perilous times" of the "last days"! In 
view of this, how full of importance is the Saviour's admonition 
to watch! 

The deceptive working and power of the magicians in 
Moses' time was so great, and they were able to produce such 
marvelous counterfeit miracles, that the carnally-minded Pha- 
raoh persuaded himself that their work was equal to that 
which was wrought by the Spirit of the living God. And in 




The . . . power of the magicians in Moses' 
time was . . . great." 



58 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

answering the question, "What shall be the sign of Thy 
coming, and of the end of the world?" Jesus makes promi- 
nent mention of the fact that " there shall arise false Christs, 
and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; 
insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the 
very elect." Matt. 24:3,24. 

Thus the never-failing Word of God places before us 
warning after warning against the deceptive, wonder-working 
power of the "false Christs and false prophets" that Satan will 
use in the "last days" to lure men into eternal ruin. How 
carefully, then, should we cherish the warning: " Take heed 
that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My name, 
saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." Matt. 24 : 4, 5. 
We can not be too careful or too guarded; for that fallen angel, 
who has given all his great powers for the whole six thousand 
years of this earth's history to the one work of deceiving man- 
kind and leading them away from God, is making his last and 
most persistent effort to delude and destroy. 

God's Word faithfully unmasks all these delusions, so that 
we may recognize them as just what they are as fast as they 
appear; and by giving heed to the utterances of the divine 
Book, we may rest secure in the promises of our heavenly 
Father, and so escape every one of the snares of the enemy. 
To be ready to meet the Master at His coming should be 
our one great aim; for He loves us with an everlasting love, 
and His coming is for the purpose of destroying sin, with all 
the consequent curse, and taking all who receive Him to the 
perfect and eternal home. 

Since He has so fully manifested His love toward us, how 
can we slight His warnings against the great delusions of our 
time, and, turning away from the study of His Word and an 
abiding faith in what it says, be forever lost ? The Word of 
God, the blessed Bible, should be our trusted teacher and 
guide. "The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps 



WATCH YE THEREFORE 



59 



shall slide." Ps. 37 : 3 1 " Thy Word have I hid in mine 
heart, that I might not sin against Thee." "Thy Word is a 
lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Ps. 119:11, 
105. " Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is 
stayed on Thee; because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in 
the Lord forever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting 
strength." Isa. 26 : 3, 4. 

God's Word is filled with these "exceeding great and 
precious promises." Seek them out and feed upon them; for 
by so doing every peril may be seen and avoided. Careful 
study of the Word of God must, in the very nature of things, 
form the basis of our giving intelligent heed to the Saviour's 
command to "watch" "lest coming suddenly He find you 
sleeping." 





CHAPTER EIGHT 



HAVING in a general way called attention in the pre- 
ceding chapter to the delusions and wonder-working 
power of Satan that will be manifested so marvelously 
in the "last days," it may be well to notice more particularly 
two or three of the deceptions against which we are especially 
warned in the Word of God. 

The following scripture will help us to understand what one 
of these delusions is: "And I saw three unclean spirits like 
frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the 
mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go 
forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to 
gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." 
Rev. 16:13, 14. Then when "that great day" is imminent, 
the "spirits of devils" will be "working miracles." Nothing 
could be plainer than the statement of this important fact. 

It is worthy of note that these "spirits of devils" go to the 
"kings of the earth," thus showing that they will seek to 
captivate the leading influential men of the world; and, to 
accomplish their design, they will have to present deceptive 
miracles, such as will arrest the attention of the most intelli- 
gent and best-educated classes. All such artfully devised 

deceptions are in perfect harmony with the character of the 
60 



GREAT DECEPTIONS 6 1 

wily foe. "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed 
into an angel of light." 2 Cor. 11 114. Satan would be at 
once rejected if he came in any other garb than that of "an 
angel of light." He is a deceiver, and the real character of 
his iniquitous plans must be so skilfully hidden that his snare 
will not be detected till his victim is hopelessly, even though 
unconsciously, entangled in his net. 

Very forcible and clear concerning this great latter-day 
deception of Satan are the words o'f the apostle Paul: "Now 
the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some 
shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, 
and doctrines of devils." 1 Tim. 4:1. Here is an expression 
from the Lord that is given with emphasis. "The Spirit 
speaketh expressly;" and we should pay careful attention to 
the divine message "so expressly" given. 

To "depart from the faith" is to disbelieve or reject the 
plain words of the Bible; for "faith cometh by hearing, and 
hearing by the Word of God." It is the "Word" of God, 
then, that we are to hear; and it is by hearing this Word that 
faith comes. Hence he who departs from the faith must first 
either neglect or reject the Word of God. It is not necessary 
openly to express infidelity in order effectually to reject God's 
divine Book. If by human interpretations, explanations, and 
mystifications that Book is allowed to be so completely covered 
up that it is no longer the direct voice of God to the soul, the 
Bible is as verily driven from the mind as if one were an 
out-and-out infidel. Explanations or criticisms that cast doubt 
upon the Word of God, and that lead men to believe that it 
does not mean what it clearly says, inevitably cause them to 
depart from the faith, and the way is thereby opened for the 
next step, which is the "giving heed to seducing spirits, and 
doctrines of devils." 

But no interpretations, explanations, or mystifying teachings 
of the Bible can compare, in their evil results, with the neglect 



62 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

individually to study the sacred Book. With the mass of 
professing Christians the Bible is seldom opened from one 
year's end to the other. These people, while professing to 
believe the Bible, know scarcely anything of what it really 
contains. They have not delved into its mines of promises, 
instructions, and warnings, and so may be led to give heed to 
these "seducing spirits," even while thinking to follow the 
guidance of the Lord. God has placed these warnings in His 
Word against "seducing spirits" so that every individual may 
read and understand. To fail to study the Bible is to turn 
from the light that discloses the pitfalls of the deceiver. 

Concerning this departing from the faith, it is left to the 
reader to answer the question for himself if either the pulpit 
or religious press (with but few exceptions) is to-day teaching 
the pure Word of God in the "demonstration of the Spirit 
and of power," as was once the case. The Word predicts a 
departing from the faith in the "latter times." It is the boast 
of men to-day that "this age has outgrown many of the things 
taught in the Bible," and they call it an indication of great 
intellectual advancement. But, instead, it is one among the 
sure signs that we are in the time when "some shall depart 
from the faith," — one of the positive evidences that the "latter 
times" are reached. Every true believer in the Word of God 
will know this now, and all others will be forced to acknowledge 
it soon. 

It should also be carefully observed that this departing from 
the faith is followed by "giving heed to seducing spirits, and 
doctrines of devils." It could not be otherwise; for when men 
fail to heed the Bible, which exposes all the deceptions of 
Satan, of course he will then drive them headlong into his 
snares. The great extent to which these wonder-working 
deceptions will be carried may best be expressed in the words 
of the prophet: "And he doeth great wonders, so that he 
maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight 



GREAT DECEPTIONS 63 

of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the 
means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight 
of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they 
should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by 
a sword, and did live." Rev. 13:13, 14. 

Reader, what think you? If you should see a power 
working such a miracle as making "fire come down from 
heaven," would it not be quite convincing to you? But be 
on your guard. God, in the clearest and most direct language, 
is warning you against these "spirits of devils" that "go forth 
unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world," exhibiting 
their miracle-working power. How needful for us, then, in 
these times of peril, to cling close to the mighty Rock, so that 
no masterpiece of the enemy's deceptions may overthrow us! 

Of course the miraculous power that makes this great 
display, even causing fire to "come down from heaven," has 
not yet been reached. But the "consulter with familiar spirits," 
who, as we shall presently see, is acting directly contrary to 
the Word of God, is to be found everywhere, and is seeking 
to convince all that there are "great wonders" wrapped up in 
Modern Spiritualism. "Only honestly investigate," say they, 
"and you must be convinced." A representative statement 
upon this point may be quoted from a leading minister in 
Boston, who recounts his experience with Spiritualism. After 
telling, through the columns of a leading magazine, what he 
had seen the mediums do, he says: " Here are most wonderful 
facts. How shall they be accounted for?" The prophet's 
prediction is that he "doeth great wonders." How literally is 
it fulfilled in the "wonders" presented by the modern spirit 
medium, and in the belief among highly educated men that 
the claims of Spiritualism are "wonderful facts" ! 

The "leading thinkers" at first regarded Spiritualism as 
nothing more than artful trickery. The "rappings," "table- 
tippings," etc., of fifty years ago were done with lights turned 



64 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

down, and there was much room for the assertion that it was 
all a slight of hand performance; but now this same thing is 
done in open day, or under the glare of the evening lamp. 
All minds, however, are not alike, and hence every person 
can not be convinced by this one kind of spiritualistic mani- 
festation. Telepathy and hypnotism and mind-reading seem 
more "scientific," and some of the educated are attracted to 
Spiritualism through these channels. A still larger class is 
attracted to the mediums because of the assurance that through 
them they can hold communion with their dead friends. So 
we might go through the list of the many ways that this many- 
sided Spiritualism has for attracting men into its bewitching, 
entrancing net. 

Satan is very cunning in his deceptions, and does not bring 
forward at first his greatest marvels ; but by degrees, and with 
numerous devices, he advances. The illiterate and supersti- 
tious, and even some who are well educated, are easily ensnared 
by "rappings" and the like. Others have to be taken in a 
more subtle snare; but in one way and another he is advancing, 
producing greater and still greater "wonders," and myriads in 
all the walks of life are being drawn into his various nets. In 
this way Spiritualism is stealthily gaining influence, prepara- 
tory to the master deception of Satan, when he "maketh fire 
come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men." 
Rev. 13:13. 

Satan "knoweth that he hath but a short time." He also 
knows the prophecies that tell so vividly of that splendid scene 
when the Son of Man shall appear in such dazzling glory; 
and hence deceptions are prepared to represent flaming fire in 
the heavens, and this "fire" comes down "on the earth in the 
sight of men." Thus he will seek to beguile the very ones 
who are following the Bible the most closely, and who are 
looking for the coming of their Saviour in glory. Who can 
withstand this great culminating deception, unless securely for- 



GREAT DECEPTIONS 



65 



tified against it by the Word of God and a daily experience in 
following- the leadings of the Light of the world? But we have 
the never-failing promise of our heavenly Father that none can 
be deceived who rely in faith upon the sure foundation. 

The prophet Isaiah, speaking in regard to those who have 
familiar spirits, says: "And when they shall say unto you, 
Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards 
that peep and that mutter; should not a people seek unto their 
God? for the living to the dead? 
To the law and to the testimony; 
if they speak not according to this 
word, it is because there is no light 
in them." Isa. 8:19, 20. Every 
one knows that there is scarcely a 
corner of the whole world in which 
may not be found the individual 
who has "familiar spirits" hovering 
about him. The "spirit medium" 
is now in nearly every neighbor- 
hood; and thousands of individuals 
who a few years ago scoffed at 
Spiritualism, considering it a super- 
stition of the most ignorant, are 
embracing it to-day as a "wonder- 
ful" truth. More than twenty 
millions are claimed as believers in, and consulters with, these 
"familiar spirits;" and if the exact statistics could be obtained, 
doubtless it would be disclosed that a much greater number 
are in the toils of this delusion. 

There is nothing that the Word of God more forcibly 
condemns than resorting to "them that have familiar spirits." 
"Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek 
after wizards, to be defiled by them; I am the Lord your 
God." Lev. 19:31. "There shall not be found among you 




" A charmer, 
a wizard, 
or a necromancer." 



66 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through 
the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or 
an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with 
familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that 
do these things are an abomination unto the Lord." Deut. 
18: 10-12. While millions are being deluded by these " familiar 
spirits," God has so arranged it that no one can ever be perfectly 
satisfied with what they have to offer. There is a vague mys- 
ticism about it all, and a fog of superstitions hovers over it. 
It does not set the mind free, even though it may give it at 
times some degree of rest. The only thing that can perfectly 
satisfy, and render us perfectly sure both of the present and 
the future, is the truth which comes from God Himself. He 
employs no mediums except His Word and His definitely 
specified operations of His Spirit. These are always plain, 
having no taint whatever of mysticism, and they fill the recip- 
ient with satisfaction and perfect peace and rest. 

No additional evidence need be given to show that Spirit- 
ualism — which is "seeking unto familiar spirits" — is forbidden 
by the Word of God, and is a deception of the evil one. Little 
do men in general realize what Satan is doing, as in every 
corner of the world he is so busily entangling the feet of such 
vast multitudes in the enticing net of Modern Spiritualism. 
Reader, review again, and again, and again, the warnings that 
God has given against the delusions of the enemy, prepared 
under his deceptive hand for these last days; and do not 
forget that the Master has said that His coming is "after 
["according to" the working of Satan with all power and 
signs and lying wonders," and that His earnest admonition is, 
"What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." 

THE CRY OF PEACE AND SAFETY 

Next to this crowning delusion of Spiritualism prepared by 
Satan for these last days, perhaps there is no worse deception 



GREAT DECEPTIONS 67 

than the soothing doctrine of "peace and safety," that in our 
day is proclaimed by so many pens and voices. 

The Word of God says, " All that will live godly in Christ 
Jesus shall suffer persecution." 2 Tim. 3:12. This statement 
is direct, and no one who regards it will be found preaching 
"peace and safety" to the Christian so long as he remains in 
this present world of sin. For it is said that "all" not a part 
merely, but "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer 
persecution." Another text says, "In the world ye shall have 
tribulation." It is only "in Me," the Master assures us, that 
we shall have "peace." John 16:33. 

The fact confronts us that the Christian church has ceased 
almost entirely to suffer persecution. Nor does it follow that 
this lack of persecution is wholly due to the general enlight- 
enment of the age. Should we open our eyes fully to the 
situation, we would see that it is largely due to the fact that 
godliness " in Christ Jesus " has very greatly died out from the 
hearts of the professed Christians of to-day. All will agree 
that the Bible plainly teaches that there should be a clear-cut 
distinction between the church and the world; but does not 
observation impress each one's inner consciousness with the 
thought that our churches to-day are courting, and in turn 
being courted by, the devotees of this sinful life? 

Read further from the Word of God: "This know also, 
that in the last days perilous times shall come." And again: 
"Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, 
and being deceived." 2 Tim. 3:1, 13. In that startling con- 
trast to the words of "peace and safety," so commonly heard, 
do these Scripture texts strike the ear! The great mass of 
teachers to-day are saying that the world is getting better and 
better, and that good times are ahead; but the infallible Word 
says exactly the opposite. In no uncertain language are we told 
that "evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse;" that 
"in the last days" not good but "perilous times shall come." 



68 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

The Word further states upon this point that "as the days 
of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be." 
Matt. 24:37. What the condition of things was in "the days 
of Noah" is made very plain in the Bible. It says, "God 
saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and 
that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only 
evil continually." Gen. 6 : 5. All who, under the spell of the 
enemy are being captivated by the belief that the world is 
rapidly getting better, should ponder these texts well. Our 
God reads the future, and He has given us a faithful portrayal 
of the true condition of things in the last days. The enchant- 
ments of a cunning foe may cause us to seem to see what does 
not exist, but we should believe the Word of God, no matter 
how dazzling may be the presentations to the contrary. 

He with whom it is impossible to err has plainly told us 
that in the days when we are to be looking for the coming of 
the Son of Man, as in the days of Noah, "the wickedness 
of man" shall be "great in the earth, and that every imagin- 
ation of the thoughts of his heart" shall be "only evil contin- 
ually." Since God has so directly spoken, who can assume to 
set aside His declaration by teaching the "peace-and-safety" 
fable that the world is growing better instead of " worse and 
worse," as the Word declares? 

How can we fail to see that Satan has already so completely 
soothed the world with his lullaby of "peace and safety" that 
it is well-nigh asleep? And while the sensibilities of many 
are being stupefied by this false doctrine, so that they will 
refuse to hear the ringing words of divine truth, the net of 
Spiritualism is being subtilely spread to complete the ruin 
of the drowsy world. 

Reader, will you not heed the earnest and faithful warnings 
of the Lord's Word? The Heavenly Father has laid the 
deceptions of the enemy so bare that we can not stumble into 
Satan's pitfalls while guided by Him who is the "Light of life." 



GREAT DECEPTIONS 



6 9 



"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear 
My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will 
sup with him, and he with Me." Rev. 3 : 20. 

" My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they 
follow Me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall 
never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My 
hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; 
and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand." 
John 10:27-29. 




1 ; /:fe^PTV 




Y^OWVLTYG 



CHAPTER NINE 



THE preceding chapters are devoted to a review of some 
of the promises of the second advent of our Saviour, 
together with the scripture warnings of the deceptions 
of Satan, with no attempt to present the evidence that the 
great day of the Lord's coming is near at hand. We have 
seen as the Scriptures were reviewed that many promises are 
left on record telling us that the Master will return in person, 
and no promise in all the Bible is made more prominent than 
the ones that assure us that Jesus will come "in the clouds 
of heaven," attended by "all the holy angels." The words 
of the Master are familiar, telling us that we should "know 
that He is near, even at the door," and His apostle declares 
that "ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should 
overtake you as a thief." 

In view of these scriptures the evidences pointing to the 
tokens of His coming are abundant and clear. 

Some of the evidence that God has given by which we 
may discern the approach of the end of time, is in the form 
of connected chains of prophecy. These record in advance 
the rise, decline, and overthrow of kingdoms and empires, 
giving a general view of the social and political scenery along 
7o 



PROPHETIC OUTLINES J I 

the highway of time, ever keeping before us the coming of 
the Lord when the reign of sin, sorrow, and distress will be 
ended forever, and the Christ of God will reign supreme. 
To understand these great chains of prophecy a general 
knowledge of history is required ; but all do not become 
historians, and therefore those who may be deprived of this 
historical knowledge may not be able to understand such 
prophecies ; but other evidence that all must see, and that 
every one may understand, is given by our Heavenly Father. 

These chains of prophecy all point to the closing days 
of time. They tell us how we may know when the last days 
of earth's history are at hand. But the evidences in addition 
to these connected lines of prophecy have to do with the last 
generation of men, the generation that will be living on the 
earth when the Lord comes. In order that all who are living 
in that time may have the indisputable evidence that will cause 
them to "know that He is near," there is given a minute 
description of the conditions that will prevail in those days. 
The evidence of the Master's coming must stand above mere 
conjecture. Those who are without a knowledge of books, 
as well as the most learned, must be stirred by the unusual 
things about them and anxious to know their meaning. What 
the Lord has to offer in the second coming of Christ is of too 
great value for Him to allow that event to come to the chil- 
dren of men without giving every one a vivid and clear view 
of the light that heralds its approach. 

Leaving to others the work of presenting the chains of 
prophecy which involve a knowledge of history, these pages 
will be confined to a consideration of those evidences of His 
coming which may be seen in the world to-day, even by those 
deprived of special education or large mental training.* 

As this evidence is examined it will be seen that the Scrip- 

* Thoughts on "Daniel and the Revelation" by the late Prof. Uriah Smith is one of the best 
books on these chains of prophecy. Professor Smith holds before his readers both the history and 
the prophecy, and it is a constant delight to observe how perfectly the great hand of Omnipotence 
has woven them together. 



72 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

tures foretell a wonderful outpouring of the Spirit of God in 
the last days, an outpouring which will lead men to proclaim 
the Gospel of peace and pardon, and the news of the Master's 
coming, to the ends of the earth. It will be seen that remark- 
able preparations have been made that this work may be accom- 
pished completely and minutely in an incredibly short time. 
What many persons will be actually saying in the last days is 
foretold. The prevalence of crime, violence, and vice, and the 
lack of judgment and justice come under the view of the pro- 
phetic eye. There is also mention of the prominence that 
will be given to the forms of religion and godliness, while the 
actual living out of the principles in the teaching of Christ will 
be sadly lacking, the professor of Christianity being given to 
the love of pleasure rather than to the things of God. The 
amassing of great wealth, and the consequent labor troubles 
are very clearly and unmistakably spoken of, as is also the 
general warlike preparations and conditions that will obtain 
among all the nations of earth. Even the elements of nature 
and the very earth itself have their story to tell amid the 
great chorus of voices which are summoning the universe 
to witness the dying agonies of everything that pertains to 
injustice, evil, and sin. 

As these fulfilling prophecies are seen and embraced 
they will fix the countenance in a gaze of exultant joy upon 
that glorious luminary of hope that pierces the very portals 
of heaven with its beams of light and happiness; yes, these 
same prophecies will aid us by the sublime flights of faith to 
behold the marshalling of the armies of the angels of the 
Lord as they are making their majestic marches and counter- 
marches before the reviewing stand of the King of kings and 
Lord of lords, preparatory to attending Him on the consum- 
mating mission of sounding the resurrection trumpet and 
conferring immortality upon every one who is ready to receive 
the rich gift of heaven. 



PROPHETIC OUTLINES 7$ 

When this evidence comes fresh to you from the book 
of God's Word, it will make an impression on your mind. It 
will, in all probability, present before you some duties to per- 
form that may not seem altogether pleasant at first. And if 
you are not careful you will find yourself seeking to "argue 
the case" so as to make it appear to yourself that these things 
that God is giving to you are not true, and that after all the 
end of time and the coming of Christ is not so near. Some 
neighbor or friend, who has not seen the light of God's 
Word, or who may be resisting that light, will more than 
likely come along to help you to argue yourself away from the 
evidence that is so striking and so impressive. But God sends 
His Spirit to "guide you into all truth," and this messenger that 
invariably comes with every text of scripture that is allowed 
to enter the mind will be speaking to you continually in a 
voice so low that no bystander can hear it, yet it will be so 
impressive in your own heart and mind that it will be the sound- 
ing of a trumpet in the depths of your soul. It is to this com- 
bined voice of God's Word and God's Spirit that you are en- 
treated to give heed. These entreaties and evidences from 
God's Word and through the voice of His Spirit have come to 
you. You know the pressing weight of their convicting power. 
This is an evidence that God placed clear beyond the power of 
mortals right in the very innermost recess of the citadel of your 
private self. If it is slighted it will be the hardest thing that 
you will have to meet in the great day of judgment that is even 
now right upon the world. There may be safety in slighting 
some of the sayings of men, but when the great Father of us 
all, even though unseen by the natural eye, speaks to us so 
plainly that we know of a surety that it is He, it is for our 
eternal good and everlasting joy that we should attentively 
listen. 




CHAPTER TEN 



OUR Lord is asked by His disciples, "What shall be the 
sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?" 
Matt. 24:3. In answering this direct question He 
gives, as one of the signs of His "coming," the fact that "this 
Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for 
a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Matt. 
24:14. Note how plain the Master makes His statement. 
"The end" will come when His "Gospel of the kingdom shall 
be preached in all the world" 

But consider what a vast work it is to proclaim "this Gospel 
of the kingdom" to "all." There have stood Africa, India, 
China, Japan, and all the rest of the countries of the far East, 
together with many isles of the sea, peopled with their untold 
millions of souls, who have seemed to be securely shut away 
by themselves. Satan, it would seem, had been successful in 
holding them back from any ray of Gospel light. But never- 
theless, the Lord has said that His "Gospel of the kingdom" 
is to go to every nation in "all the world." And when the 
time arrives for its accomplishment, every barrier is broken 
down, and God provides the means, wonderful though they 
may have to be, by which His work is to be accomplished. 
Japan is loosed, the bands of China are broken, the walls 
74 



THE GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM 75 

of intolerance are made to crumble, and the isles "wait for 
His law." 

Now just so surely as God has spoken this word there will 
be something seen in the way of giving the Gospel to the 
world that will be so prominent as to be decidedly striking to 
every one who will stop long enough to give it consideration. 
And just as surely as the giving of the Gospel to the world 
is to constitute one of the prominent evidences that the time 
has come for the end, even so surely will it be done in such a 
way as to show the all-pervading presence of Jehovah moving 
in the majesty of His power in the midst of the great work. 

Several very important elements must come together and 
combine in such a work as giving the Gospel to all the world. 
In the first place there must be such a breaking down of the 
walls of intolerance as will permit the Gospel to enter the vari- 
ous kingdoms and countries of the world; then there must be 
facilities provided by which all the world can be readily reached. 
When Providence has thus opened the way for men to go to 
all the world, by breaking up the foundations of intolerance, 
and by providing means of travel and communication, there 
must combine with these elements a disposition on the part 
of a class of the people to give this world-wide Gospel message. 
Men must actually be filled with the desire to do the work 
as well as to see the open doors for doing it. 

A combination of superstition, intolerance, and ignorance, 
had built up such a religious despotism by the time of the 
Middle Ages that it would seem to any observer that all hope 
of a Gospel message that was to place the offers of divine 
pardon and salvation before the whole world was securely cut 
off. But God had spoken the word and the way must be 
prepared. So in the midst of the darkness of the sixteenth 
century there broke out that vast spiritual awakening that gave 
to a great extent intellectual as well as spiritual freedom to 
all Europe. 



76 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

The benign work of those years of Gospel seed-sowing 
produced men in later times who began to have those strong 
heart-throbbings for the salvation of every one that could be 
reached in the whole human family. Heaven's longing desire 
to rescue perishing men began to kindle unquenchable flames 
of missionary zeal in the devoted minds of the followers of 
Christ. Charles Wesley set the world to singing — 

' ' Lord of the harvest, hear 
Thy needy servants' cry; 
Answer our faith's effectual prayer, 
And all our wants supply. 

"On Thee we humbly wait; 

Our wants are in Thy view; 
The harvest, truly, Lord, is great, 
The laborers are few. 

' ' Convert and send forth more, 
To spread Thy truth abroad; 
And let them speak Thy word of power, 
As workers with their God. 

"And though our bodies part, 
To different climes afar, 
Still ever joined as one in heart, 
The friends of Jesus are. 

"Oh, let us still proceed 
In Jesus' work below; 
And, following our triumphant Head, 
To further conquests go." 

The work has proceeded till the whole world stands as 
one vast congregation listening to the Gospel message. From 
the frigid zones to the torrid, from frosty Greenland and Siberia 
to Ceylon's isle and Sahara's burning plains, from healthful 
climes to venom-infested and disease-breathing swamps and 
jungles, the story of Christ and the Gospel message is to go 



THE GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM 



77 



and is going. Hearts and doors are opening in every land to 
receive it; men of every land are giving themselves to the 
work of giving it; and the continual surrender of souls is 
bearing witness to the efficacy of the work that is being done. 
But while some are heeding, others are heedless, and are 
grieving heaven by turning from the message with stony 
hearts. God will not compel any to accept; but He will have 
His invitation proclaimed in every clime "for a witness." Only 
another touch of divine power is needed, and the giving of the 
message of the Gospel to all the world will be completed; and 
then, when that work has been accomplished, according to the 
promise, "shall the end come." 

With these facts in general before us, let us pass to the 
next chapter and consider more in detail what has been done 
within the last hundred years to prepare things in the world for 
giving speedily a world wide Gospel proclamation. 









CHAPTER ELEVEN 



E are living in an age of 



wonders. There have 
been such marvelous 
changes and developments during the past century that the 
world of to-day would not be recognized at all by the men 
who lived and died here a hundred years ago. Even those 
who have been dead but fifty years, if brought to life now, 
could hardly be convinced that this is the planet on which 
they spent their lives. Just imagine their amazement as 
they would view our "lightning express trains," our steam- 
ships, our electric lights, electric cars, telephones, telegraphs, 
twine-binders, sewing machines, and all the rest of the end- 
less procession of inventions and discoveries that the rushing 
activity of this generation has produced. Do you ever stop 
to consider the marvelous changes and advancements of this 
time? And have you not sometimes reflected on what it may 
signify ? 

78 




The Scientific American 
celebrated its fiftieth anni- 
versary by publishing in its 
issue of July 25, 1896, an outline history of the great advance- 
ment in the way of inventions and discoveries during the past 
fifty years. But in attempting the task the editor said: — 

"The material world has advanced so rapidly during the 
last half century, and with a pace so accelerated, that man- 
kind has almost lost one of its most important faculties and 
one essential to happiness, — that of surprise. . . . The 
most marvelous developments are taken as a matter of course. 
The condition of things fifty years ago is seldom pictured 
to the mind; and all the material blessings which we now enjoy 
are used as conveniences of daily life, and no more. 
Notwithstanding the pages of matter and quantities of illus- 
trations, we feel that the task of telling about the progress of 
a lifetime can at the least be only inadequately performed — 
so much has been done." 

79 




.V * <* 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



When we consider these 
wonderful inventions and dis- 
coveries, and take into account 
that these stupendous achieve- 
ments have nearly all been 
made during the lives of men 
now upon the stage of 
action, well may we 
- ask, What does it all 

mean? Why were not 
some of these things in- 
vented in former ages? 
And why has the devel- 
opment not been more 
gradual? However, instead of any of these great inventions 
being made in former times, or there being a gradual devel- 
opment in this field during a succession of centuries, it remained 
for the last half of the nineteenth century suddenly to produce 
nearly all of this marvelous change. 

Again, it is urged that we should pause to inquire, What 
does it mean? And why have not the intellectual giants of 
former days discovered these things, or at least produced some 
of these modern inventions ? 

It would hardly seem necessary to mention what modern 
inventions have done to promote travel and international com- 
munication, and how the hitherto secluded countries of the 
East have thereby been drawn into closer relations with the 
rest of the world. Some men may see in all this nothing more 
than a vast material progress. But the Lord has said, "This 
Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world," 
and how marked is His preparation for His world-wide work! 
The nations are being stirred. The shackles of that old exclu- 
siveness are being broken, and the inhabitants of every part of 
the globe are becoming acquainted with each other, preparatory 



A REMARKABLE CENTURY. 



81 



God has a time in 



to that great and final proclamation of "this Gospel of the 
kingdom. " 

The very fact, as has been pointed out in preceding chap- 
ters, that Christ has given His sure promise to come again, 
should be evidence to us that He will have that coming heralded 
to the ends of the earth. But we see that He does not leave 
us thus to conjecture. He tells us plainly that "this Gospel 
of the kingdom" shall be preached for a witness in all the 
world, and "then shall the end come." 
mind when He will send 
His Son in person to earth 
again; and the signs foretell- 
ing that much-to-be-desired 
event must be given to every 
nation, else they could not 
have the opportunity to 
"know that He is near." 

With some of the most pop- 
ulous nations groping in heathen 
darkness, and because of the 
barriers of religious intolerance 
isolated from the Christian por- 
tion of the world, as they were 
seventy-five years ago, and with 
the means of travel and com- 
munications existing in those days, how could such a vast work 
be accomplished? But God has promised to give the Gospel 
to every nation ; and to accomplish such an immense work we 
would expect to see correspondingly great facilities. 

Who can fail to see the marvelous preparations that are even 
now being made ? Those who are wholly absorbed in the things 
of this life may fail to note the sublimity of the plan that is now 
being worked out in the wonders of this age ; yet here are the 
facts in striking reality. We should not become so absorbed 




Overland in the '90's. 



82 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

in the mere use of the unprecedented inventions and discoveries 
of our day as to lose sight of the divine purpose for which they 
are so wondrously bestowed upon the world. 

In this connection we should observe that the most notable, 
the most useful, and the most highly perfected of the inventions 
of this time are particularly and peculiarly adapted to assist in 
giving the Gospel message in all the earth. The printing-press 
is a marvel of ingenuity and perfection. It has been developed 
until there is no limit to the printed pages that it may produce. 
Then, to carry this matter when printed, the "flying express" 
trains and the "ocean greyhounds" have been provided. In 
collecting the news and discussions of the world, the printing- 
press has a most potent companion, the electric telegraph, that 
simply annihilates time and space in despatching the doings and 
sayings of all the world to the editor's desk in the twinkling 
of an eye. The press- — the mighty educator — is doing its 
work. The fast mails are carrying its products to all the world. 
No one thing absorbs the efforts of the press more than the 
promulgation of the Gospel of the kingdom. Do you not see 
what it signifies ? 

There can be no ground for doubt in regard to the meaning 
and purpose of the inventions and discoveries that have marked 
this generation as the wonder of all ages. But read another 
direct prophecy upon this point: "But thou, O Daniel, shut 
up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end ; 
many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." 
Dan. 12:4. 

The command is given to "shut up the words and seal the 
book." But till what time are they thus "shut up" and "sealed"? 
"Even to the time of the end." It will be noticed that the 
scripture does not say "the end," nor "the end of time," but 
"the time of the end;" that is, a brief period before "the end" 
in which great and striking changes are to take place, by which 
we are to know that "the end" is fast approaching. That time 



A REMARKABLE CENTURY 



83 



is to be particularly marked by the "many" who "shall run to 
and fro" and, further, by the fact that " knowledge shall be 
increased." 

The book of Daniel, from which the foregoing text is quoted, 
gives the prophetic outline of the history of the world from the 
days of the old Babylonian Empire down to the end of time. 
In the very nature of things the prophecy could not be under- 
stood until the events predicted should be sufficiently fulfilled 
to enable the individual to take up the thread of the prophetic 

narrative. Hence God's 
command to the prophet 
to seal the book till the 
time of the end — till the 
time when the prophecy 
should be sufficiently a 
matter of history that the 
meaning of it could be 
grasped. In other words 
our Heavenly Father gave 
the prophet a view of the 
history of the world, when 
that history was yet 
future, and told him to place the divine seal upon it, closing it 
until the time when it would be needed, — "the time of the end." 
Bible students are quite generally agreed that the running to 
and fro spoken of in this text refers to a great awakening in the 
study of the Bible, particularly its prophetic portions, when 
the time of the end is reached. Doctor Adam Clarke, in com- 
menting on the text, says, "Many shall endeavor to search out 
the sense; and knowledge shall be increased — by this means. 
Though the meaning shall not he fully known till the events 
take place; THEN the seal shall be broken; and the sense 
becomes plain." "Many shall give their sedulous attention to 
these things," is the manner in which another student expresses 




The Brooklyn Bridge. 



° A 
04 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



it. When the unfolding of events in the things of this world 
have broken the seal from the prophecy so that men may 
readily understand it, still it will be necessary for them to give 
their "sedulous attention" to the words of the prophet in order 
to see what God has so plainly revealed. It will be necessary 
to "search out the sense" if we would grasp the majestic sweep 
of the prophecy. 

"This Gospel of the kingdom" that the Master tells us shall 
be "preached in all the world for a witness," in the very nature 
of things must embrace a definite and clear presentation of 

what the kingdom of the Lord 
,-MiM is. It must herald to the 

h world the Lord's express rev- 

,/ elation concerning the kingdom 



f%?\. 




The "Lucania. 



that He promises in this world-wide Gospel message. "Many 
shall endeavor to search out the sense," and to fully under- 
stand the prophecies that tell us that the kingdom of the King 
of eternity is at hand. As the prophecies in all their fulness 



A REMARKABLE CENTURY 



85 



are seen; as a realizing sense of the perfect fitting together of 
prophecy and history comes into the mind; and, especially, as 
it is seen that every striking feature that marks the world of 
to-day has been com- 
pletely photographed 
by the prophets hun- 
dreds of years ago, 
the hearts of men 
will be stirred by a 
superhuman power to 
lift their voices like 
trumpets as they tell 
to every creature in 
all the world that 
the glorious joys of 
eternity are here. 
"Sedulous attention" 
is given, the book is 
searched, and the mes- 
sage is proclaimed. 
Such is the program 
that the Book of 
books outlines, and 
such are the thrilling events and issues that are even now right 
before the men and women who are upon the stage of action. 
How perfectly does this prophecy coincide and combine with 
the promise that the Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached 
in all the world. The one is a promise of what shall be done, 
and the other tells us how men will get their inspiration for such 
a vast work. By giving their sedulous attention to searching 
out the sense of the prophecies they will see that the time has 
come for the end of all things, and the Gospel will be proclaimed 
to all with the great power that attends the definite knowledge 
that is based on the sure word of prophecy. 

6 




The ship of yesterday 



86 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



There are some, however, who have thought that this 
running "to and fro" spoken of by the prophet has an appli- 
cation and a more literal fulfilment in the great facilities for 
travel and communication that have been developed within 

the last half cen- 
tury. But while 
it would seem per- 
fectly clear from a 
careful study of 
the text that it has 
reference to an 
unusual awaken- 
ing in the study 
of the prophecy 
that was sealed till 
the " time of the 
end," yet we have 
only to look out 
upon the world 
to-day to see the 
literal running to 
and fro upon the 
earth. Mankind 
has ever been in- 
clined to move 
from place to 
place, but never before have there been such facilities for 
travel and communication as have been provided in this gen- 
eration. The persons are still living who tell us that they 
well remember when their journeying had to be done on foot, 
or on horseback, or by the stage-coach. Hence, of necessity, 
men were quite closely confined to one locality. But how is 
it now? If it is desired to cross the continent, instead of the 
journey requiring six months or more, as in the time of our 




Ocean liner leaving dock. 



A REMARKABLE CENTURY 



87 



fathers, we step on the "lightning express," and in four or five 

days are whirled from ocean to ocean. By the steel rail, 

traversed by the "flying" railway palace, every city, village, 

and hamlet is brought into speedy communication each with 

the other. To-day 

the dweller in New 

York or Boston 

speaks of a trip to 

Chicago or San 

Francisco about as 

our fathers talked 

of a journey to a 

neighboring village 

or an adjoining 

county. 

The improve- 
ment in travel 
by sea has been 
equally great. 
Fifty years ago a 
ship could accom- 
modate only a few 
score passengers. 
These were slowly 
dragged across the 
ocean in "cramped, 
ill- lighted, and 

stuffy cabins" upon the old-fashioned sailboats or the primitive 
paddle-wheel steamers that were then just coming into use. 
But to-day over two thousand persons can have all the accom- 
modations of a first-class modern hotel in one of our larp-e ocean 

o 

steamships, and they are carried in a few days from shore to 
shore across the expansive ocean. Thus the nations of all 
the world are brought together as next-door neighbors. 




A great railway station. 



ss 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 




With all this provision for travel by both land and sea, 
and with the great mass of our fellow-men who are continu- 
ally going from place to place in pursuit of business or pleas- 
ure, how complete are the facilities for 
giving this Gospel of the kingdom to 
all the world! Who can estimate the 
millions of people that are at this moment 
in motion on railway and steamship? 
The Railway Age informs us that the 
railroad travel in the United States 
alone for the year 1897 was equivalent 
to thirteen billion persons traveling by 
rail one mile each. And it is readily 
seen from these enormous figures that 
enough traveling was done in this coun- 
try during that one year to have given 
each of the seventy million men, women, 
and children residing here, a ride of one 
hundred and eighty-five miles. 

Further mention, however, should be made of the high state 
of perfection to which the printing-press has attained. For, 
as already intimated, it has been and ever will be, a most potent 
factor in spreading "this Gospel of the kingdom." Although 
printing has been done for several hundred years, it remained 
for the last half of the nineteenth century to reduce it to one 
of the fine arts, and at the same time provide ingenious and 
rapid presses that are capable of printing several million pages 
of matter in a single day. The old "Franklin hand-press," 
with but few improvements and modifications, was the best 
that had been produced at the beginning of our century. But 
the first half of this century witnessed some very decided 
advancements in the printing-press. These improvements, 
however, were only prophetic indications of what was to be 
accomplished in the last forty or fifty years. 



The old "Franklin hand-press. 



A REMARKABLE CENTURY 



8 9 



Thi 



is 



Franklin's press, which was decidedly useful and a great 
wonder, in his day, stands now in the National Museum simply 
as a curiosity. Passing down the long list of improvements 
that have been made in the printing-press since Franklin's 
time, we are brought to something more marvelous by far than 
any of the famous ''seven wonders" of the ancient world. We 
refer to the octuple press, invented by Richard M. Hoe. 
most ingen- 
ious machine 
has a capac- 
ity for print- 
ing ninety- 
six thousand 



copies per 
hour, or six- 
teen hundred 
per minute, 
of any of the 
great eight- 
page daily 
newspapers. 
The paper is 
reeled off a 
roll, and trav- 
els through 
the press at 
the amazing 

speed of thirty-two and one-half miles an hour. This is a 
fair speed for a passenger train. The press is constructed so 
that it prints both sides of the paper as it glides through, 
and an ingenious -attachment automatically cuts apart, pastes, 
folds, and counts the papers. Two young men have to work 
quite briskly in taking the papers away from the press as 
they are printed. 




"Imagine Franklin's surprise if he were 
now awakened." 



90 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 




Robert Fulton. 




Samuel F. B. Morse, 




Peter Cooper. 



Imagine Franklin's surprise if he 
were now wakened from his short 
sleep of a hundred years, and brought 
at once into the presence of this most 
wonderful perfecting press. What 
would be his amazement to watch it, 
acting with all the precision and seem- 
ing intelligence of a human being, as 
it printed, cut, folded, and counted 
more papers per minute than the his- 
toric press he produced could deliver in 
a whole day! 

Without these modern perfecting 
"presses" the "great dailies," some of 
them with a circulation of nearly a mil- 
lion every twenty- four hours, and being 
frequently required to print over a mil- 
lion a day on special occasions, could 
not, at a merely nominal price, emanate 
from our large cities to greet the intel- 
ligent reading public of our time. And 
while speaking of the daily newspaper, 
we should also take into account the 
modern facilities for printing and cir- 
culating magazines, books, pamphlets, 
and tracts. With all these things 
before us, is it not forcibly impressed 
upon the mind that the preparation for 
placing a knowledge of "this Gospel 
of the kingdom" before all the world 
in a very short time is most ample 
and complete? 

But, notwithstanding the far- 
reaching possibilities of the printing- 



A REMARKABLE CENTURY 



QI 



press, what could it accomplish if the 
great mass of the people were unable 
to read, as was the case a century or 
so ago? And here, again, we may 
note, as one of the wonders of our 
time, the world-wide enthusiasm that 
is thrown into the work of educating 
all the people, at least so far as to 
enable them to readily read and write. 
The nation that does not provide a 
good common-school education for all 
of its common people is already marked 
to withdraw in disgrace from the 
marching columns of progress, while 
the individual who is not able to 
read at least in his native tongue, is 
looked upon with pity, and often with 
disgust and reproach. 

Here, again, our minds are for- 
cibly drawn back to the prophecy that 
at "the time of the end, many shall run 
to and fro, and knowledge shall be in- 
creased." A knowledge of this great 
prophecy that is for this "time of the 
end" could only be possible in a time 
when there was a general diffusion of 
education, so that men might read and 
understand. How perfectly do the 
parts of this great prophetic structure 
come together! The press prints the 
books, the magazines, the papers, in 
such abundance that all can have 
access to them, and then a mighty 
wave of education places within the 




Charles Goodyear. 




Sir Henry Bessemer. 




C. H. M Cormick. 



92 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 




1 \ 



James Watt. 



reach of all the people the ability and opportunity of reading 
them. 

While considering- the marvelous 
capacity of the printing-press, we should 
not lose sight of the most ample pro- 
vision that has been made for gathering 
intelligence from every nook and corner </fc 
of the whole earth. It was on May 24, 
1844, that the famous message, "What 
hath God wrought!" was suggested by 
Miss Ellsworth, and flashed by the elec- 
tric current from Washington to Balti- 
more; and since that date the applied 
genius and business activity of such men 

as Morse, Edison, Delaney, Stearns, Field, Cooper, Mackay, 
and others, have not only threaded the several continents of our 
world with the electric telegraph, but have connected these 
continents by the ocean cable, so that the inhabitants of the 

entire globe are made to seem to 
each other as dwellers of the 
same village; for the doings to- 
x day of those living in the United 
States are cabled to the Old 
World at once, and may be read 
immediately in the columns of 
their daily papers; while an ac- 
count of what is occurring in 
Europe, Asia, Africa, South 
America, and even far-off Aus- 
tralia and the isles of the sea, 
comes gliding over the wires to 
us, and we are reading all the 
doings of those distant lands in just a few moments after the 
deeds are done. 




Thomas Edison 



A REMARKABLE CENTURY 



93 




Cyrus W. Field. 



The inspired words that were chosen as the first telegraphic 

message come vividly to mind again; for we may well say, 

"What hath God wrought!" How 
marvelous indeed are the preparations 
that the Lord has made to proclaim to 
all the world that most precious promise, 
" I will come again." And with all 
these modern facilities for communi- 
cating knowledge, how literally will 
God fulfil His Word, "This Gospel of 
the kingdom shall be preached in all 
the world for a witness unto all nations." 
God has a precious message for " all the 

world." It is not a 

part merely that is to 

be reached; but all are 

to hear the welcome 

tidings that Jesus is 

coming again. How 

impressive, how abun- 
dant, how perfect, are 

the preparations to give 

to all the good news 

of our Master's return! 

The whole world, by 

means of the railway, 

the steamship, the 

printing-press, and the 

telegraph, are brought 

into communication as 

one great assembly,, and 

are now hearing the 

message from God's own Word that the Saviour is about 

to come. 




Laying the Atlantic cable. 



94 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



The facilities for carrying God's message being so abun- 
dantly prepared,, we should begin to watch for the next step 
in the divinely complete plan. This Gospel of the kingdom will 
inevitably "come to the front, and become the theme of world- 
wide discus- 
sion, if neces- 
sary, even 
through the 
contempt that 
is placed upon 
it." Every 
phase of God's 




si™ 

.■■''I'o-k-T'i V-,\-: U- 






'im great truth for 




■^t^=! 



The combined harvester and thresher, 
drawn by traction engine. 



these last days will be considered and reconsidered, and men 
will rapidly range themselves on one side or the other of 
the great question involved; and when this intense discussion 
reaches the point where it is an issue in every part of the 
globe, how swiftly will the Gospel do its work! 

Until recently Spain was quietly moving along, attracting 
but little interest or attention outside her own borders. But no 
sooner is war declared with the United States than all the 
world becomes interested in the conflict. In both the Old 



A REMARKABLE CENTURY 



95 



World and the New the papers are eagerly sought every 
morning, and crowds watch the bulletin-boards all through the 
day to see what are the latest movements of the contending 
forces. The history of the two countries is studied anew; the 
dust-covered geographies and maps are brought out, and many 
who were not aware of the existence of the Canaries, the 
Ladrones, the Philippines, or the Carolines, are now familiar 
with the fact that they are islands that for many years have 
been under the dominion of Spain; and so it is with the 
dominion and affairs of China, Japan, Korea, Russia, India, 
Thibet or any of the countries or events that can claim the 
attention of the public for the time being. 

Now, when the spark of divine power shall set all the 
modern agencies in motion, how swiftly must the Master's last 
great work be done! Those who have been unfamiliar with 
the Bible will learn of its contents; they will see the clear 
evidence that surrounds us showing that the Saviour is about 
to return ; and only a very short time will be required for each 
individual to come to the place where he will make his final 
stand for or against the Lord's Christ. 




■ ■ 



■ -_ 




CHAPTER TWELVE 



RECALLING again the prophecy of Dan. 12:4, ^ et us 
study it anew. The prophet states that "knowledge 
shall be increased," and it should not be overlooked 
that this is to be in "the time of the end." 

As has already been suggested, this scripture foreshadows 
a general intelligence among the people at the time when the 
prophecy applies; but for its direct and literal fulfilment we 
must look for a movement that brings the Bible itself within 
the reach of every one. For it is the Bible that contains the 
message and promises of "this Gospel of the kingdom." As 
we look for this thing in particular we find that among all 
the great marvels of this marvelous age of material develop- 
ment, progress, and invention, nothing stands out more clearly 
or more strongly than the facts concerning the vast number of 
copies of the Word of God that have been printed and circu- 
lated during the past few decades. 

Notwithstanding the interest that had been awakened in 
the Scriptures by the Reformation, the beginning of the nine- 
teenth century found Bibles still so scarce, and the price so 
high, that but very few individuals could afford a copy of the 
sacred Book; and oftentimes persons would walk miles to have 
an opportunity of hearing the Bible read. 
96 



THE BIBLE AMONG THE PEOPLE 



97 



But in March, 1804, tne British and Foreign Bible Society 
was organized; the American Bible Society was founded in 
May, 18 16; and in connection with these two leading societies, 
hundreds of auxiliary societies have been formed, all with the 
one purpose in view of placing the Bible in the hands of all 
the people in both civilized and heathen lands. Through the 
combined efforts of all engaged in this work, the Bible, either 
entire or in parts, is now read in over four hundred languages 
and dialects. It is being printed at the rate of six million two 
hundred fifty thousand copies a year; and over three hundred 
million copies have been circulated since the British and For- 
eign Bible Society was organized in 1804. 

For the first fifteen hundred years of the Christian era only 
a very few persons could afford a complete copy of the Bible. 
The Reformation came, however, and awakened a deep interest 
in it; and while men were able, with the crude printing facil- 
ities of those times, to produce a limited number of copies 
entire, yet they could not nearly supply the demand. The 
cost of printing 
and binding with 
the means at hand 
previous to this 
century was ever 
a strong barrier 
against placing the 
sacred Book in 
the hands of all 
the people. Then, 
too, the generous- 
hearted men had 
not yet arisen who 
would devote their lives and their fortunes to the work of 
giving the Bible to all, and in the familiar language of their 
native land. 




"Fifty years ago 
grain was cut with 
cradle-scythe." 



9 3 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



But, lo! "the time of the end" arrives; and by a touch of 
supernatural power the sleepy world that has been dreamily 
moving along, with but very few improvements in its mate- 
rial life to break the tedious monotony, suddenly becomes 
intensely agitated. Within the short span of a single lifetime 
the printing-press is brought to a marvelous perfection; the 
railway and the steamship within the same time are developed 
to the point where they seem to carry us from place to place 
as on the wings of the wind; electricity conveys our thoughts 
from city to city and from continent to continent w r ith the 
speed of lightning; and then the Word of God, which is 
the great fountain of knowledge, is printed by the million, 



and all these 

it to the nations 

How literal, 




The steam hammer at work. 



agencies spring forward to swiftly carry 

and tongues of the earth. 

how complete, how marvelous, is the 
fulfilment of that divine 
prediction that in "the 
time of the end" "knowl- 
edge shall be increased " ! 
That Word which makes 
it possible for us to know 
the promise of the com- 

J. 

ing One; that Word 
which reveals to us the 
evidences by which we 
may know that we are in 
"the time of the end;" 
that Word which gives 
"this Gospel of the king- 
dom;" that Word which 
is indeed a veritable lamp 
unto our feet, and a light 
unto our path, disclos- 
ing to our otherwise be- 



THE BIBLE AMONG THE PEOPLE 



99 







"The hammer, anvil, and forge." 



nighted vision what the mar- 
vels of our day really mean 
— that Word is now, by the 
multiplied millions, scattered 
in all the world. Those who 
have means may purchase 
it at the most reasonable 
prices, while the generosity 
of our great Bible societies 
has provided it "without 
money and without price" 
to those too poor or too 
indifferent to buy. God 
has surely done His part. 
He has fulfilled His pro- 
phetic promises so com- 
pletely that we should be 

led in wonder and adoration to acknowledge their literal truth. 
While mentioning particularly 

the wonderful inventions of our 

time which make it possible for 

" this Gospel of the kingdom" to 

speedily reach the remotest bound- 
aries of earth, it may not be out 

of place to note, in passing, what 

has been accomplished in general 

in the great field of learning, dis- 
covery, and invention. It would 

be a wearisome task, however, 

even if space permitted, to make 

the merest mention of all that has 

been done. Vast and varied, 

almost beyond description, are the "Boots and 

achievements of this age. Yet the Jlo^mLde b y hand.- 




IOO 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 




The knitting-machine. 



people are so intent on driving 
their business or reveling in their 
pleasures that they are scarcely 
conscious of the surpassing real- 
ities of to-day. 

A few contrasts will perhaps 
serve best to bring the conditions 
and attainments of this time viv- 
idly before the mind: — 

Fifty years ago the simple needle and thimble were the 
implements with which the housewife did her sewing; to-day 
she has a machine to do this work for her. 

Fifty years ago our stockings were knit by hand; to-day 
a girl with her knitting-machine can knit more stockings in a 
day than a whole neighborhood of women could have done in 
those times. 

Fifty years ago all our grain was cut with sickle or cradle- 
scythe, and our hay mowed by hand; to-day the farmer has 
his mowing-machine, and that marvel of modern ingenuity, 
the combination, reaper and twine-binder, and the combined 
harvester and thresher. 

Fifty years ago our mothers and sisters took the wool 

and flax, spun the thread, and wove 
the cloth that made our clothes; now 
the spinning-wheel and hand-loom are 
._ : relegated to the curiosity-shop, and 
the steam loom, with its associated 
y*Sl machinery, is doing the work. 




Fifty years ago the carpenter had 
to plane his boards, match his floor- 
ing, make his doors, sash, and, in 
fact, work out practically all his build- 
ing material by hand; now a great 
"Our stockings were knit by hand." variety of wood-working machinery 



THE BIBLE AMONG THE PEOPLE 



IOI 




" To-day she has a 
machine." 



does about all his work for him, with accuracy and work- 
manlike beauty. 

Fifty years ago the hammer, 
anvil, and forge were the principal 
instruments for making things from 
iron; but the forge and anvil have 
only a modest and obscure corner 
in the modern shop, while numer- 
ous kinds of iron-working machines 
are rolling out the work. 

Fifty years ago, with hammer, 
awl, last, and pegs, our boots and 
shoes were slowly made by hand; 
to-day machinery makes our foot- 
wear with a speed and deftness that are truly amazing. 
Fifty years ago all our writing was done with the pen; 
to-day the typewriter does it much more neatly and rapidly. 
Then we spent our evenings in the dim light of the tallow 
candle; now the kerosene lamp, gas, or electric light transforms 
darkness into almost the brilliant light of day. 

But, not to make this compar- 
ison tedious, it may be said in a 
word, Let the progress of the past 
fifty years be destroyed, and we 
would have taken from us practi- 
cally such other inventions and dis- 
coveries as the telephone, cable and 
electric street-cars, vulcanized rub- 
L- ber goods, photo-engraving, photo- 
lithographing, the kodak, the gas 
engine, the passenger elevator, 
asphalt pavement, the steam fire- 
"The simple is* y engine, the triple-expansion steam- 

needle and thim- '* SSt **__^-*' . , r^'CC J • ■ 11 

bie were the implements." engine, the Gifford injector, cellu- 

7 




102 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



■#<, 




loid, barbed-wire fences, time-locks for safes, kerosene oil and 
gas wells, machines for making ice, the phonograph, the graph- 
ophone, stem- winding watches, the 
great suspension bridges, steel- 
frame buildings, ironclad war-ships, 
revolvers, breech-loading guns, 
magazine guns, Gatling guns, ma- 
chine guns, torpedoes, linotype 
machines, wireless telegraphy, the 
knowledge of microbes and dis- 
ease germs, together with a myriad 
of other things in the medical line, 
discoveries without number in the 
general field of science, air brakes, 
nitroglycerine, acetylene, dynamite 
and guncotton, Bessemer and 
Harvey ized and Kruppized steel, the "The carpenter had 

1 -i -i i to . . . get out practically everything 

automobile and motorcycle, argon, by hand " 

polonium, radium, etc., etc., etc. 

It is useless to enumerate further. So great has been the 

activity in this field of invention and discovery, so vast have 
been the achievements, that the mind becomes 
weary in contemplating the endless array. 

The remarkable part of it all is that men still 
living can trace from memory all these great 
changes and developments that enter into this 
wonderful age. Mr. Edward W. Byrn, A. M., 
has well said that "the past fifty years represent 
an epoch of invention and progress unique in 
the history of the world. It is something more 
than a merely normal growth or natural devel- 
opment. It has been a gigantic wave of human 
ingenuity and resource, so stupendous in its 

The dim light of -i i • • j« 

the tailow candle." magnitude, so complex in its diversity, so pro- 




THE BIBLE AMONG THE PEOPLE 



IO3 




"Fifty years ago all our writing 
was done with the pen." 



found in its thought, so fruitful in its wealth, so beneficent in its 
results, that the mind is strained and embarrassed in its efforts 

to expand to a full appreciation 
of it. Indeed, the period seems 
a grand climax of discovery, 
rather than increment of growth. 
The negative condi- 
tions of that period extend into 
such an appalling void that we 
stop short, shrinking from the 
thought of what it would mean 
to modern civilization to elimi- 
nate from its life those potent 
factors of its existence." 

Standing in full view of all 
these things, can there be any doubt that we are in the 
"time of the end"? As we see how literally all the world has 
been brought together by these modern inventions, can there 
be any doubt that the Master 
has made ample provision to 
have "this Gospel of the king- 
dom preached in all the world 
for a witness unto all nations"? 
And just as soon as the world 
hears the joyful message of 
" His glorious appearing," "then 
shall the end come!' 

The gladdest of ail glad 
days is almost here. On every 
hand may be seen and heard 
the heralds of the morning. 
And by every one of these her- 
alds we are invited to get ready 

J "To-day the typewriter 

tO Sit as JOyful gUestS at the does it much more rapidly." 




104 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



"marriage supper of the Lamb." The invitation is now being 
proclaimed in all the world; and it reads, "And the Spirit and 
the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. 
And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him 
take the water of life freely." Rev. 22:17. 

All are invited guests. Will not you allow the sinner's 
Friend, your Saviour, to robe you in the wedding garment 
for that feast? "In Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy 
right hand there are pleasures forevermore." Ps. 16:11. 




4k 



m """:- 



- - ■ ■ Mh 





CHAPTER THIRTEEN 



THE developments that mark this as the most wonderful 
age of all time are well known ; but men are generally so 
intent in observing and enjoying the material advance- 
ment that has been made that they do not realize that this 
century has been as wondrously marked by its missionary 
operations as by its advancement in discovery and invention. 
Notwithstanding the fact that the Reformation of the six- 
teenth century was one of the greatest periods of spiritual 
activity in the church since the days of the apostles, yet there 
was connected with it no suggestion or movement worthy of 
mention, in the direction of carrying the Gospel to the outlying 
heathen lands. The burden of the Reformers seemed to be 
to urge the saving Gospel upon the church itself; for the 
professed Christianity of that time was so formal and dead, so 
spiritually blind and ignorant, and so full of superstition, that it 
really stood on a level with, if not below, the non-professing 
heathenism of India, China, and Japan. 

The importance and necessity of sending missionaries to the 
countries where the Gospel light had not gone, was suggested 
by individuals at different times, and urged upon the attention 
of the church ; but the way was not yet opened for this work to 
begin in earnest. God did not have either agents or agencies 
prepared; for mankind had sunk so low that several centuries 

107 



io8 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



of the full blaze of Gospel truth were needed to fit them for 
the work of evangelizing the heathen world. Such missionary 
efforts as were put forth during the seventeenth and eighteenth 
centuries partook in too many instances of the forceful methods 
that were employed in the darker ages. Speaking of some of 
the missionaries of the seventeenth century, a historian tells us : 
"We know that unevangelical means were soon employed, as 
in Ceylon, where the Dutch governor made the tenure of even 
the lowest governmental position, and even the governmental 

protection, con- 
ditional upon 
signing the 
Helvetic Con- 
fession. Thou- 
sands pressed to 
baptism, which 
was denied to 
no one who 
could repeat the 
Lord's Prayer 
and the Ten 

Bible House, New York. CoiTimand- 

ments." 
Thus the greater part of the missionary work that was at- 
tempted in those times partook more of the nature of politics 
than of the presentation of the pure, free, saving Gospel of 
Jesus Christ. 

But during the latter part of the eighteenth century the 
Wesleys, Whitefield, and others were doing their mighty work. 
The voyages arid discoveries of Captam Cook imparted a new 
interest to what seemed then to be the "far-away" portions of 
the world, and to the islands of the sea as well. When the 
nineteenth century entered upon its altogether unprecedented 
career, Andrew Fuller, William Carey, John Williams, Judson, 




THE GOSPELS PROGRESS IO9 

and numerous other devoted missionaries, with earnestness 
and intelligent zeal, and the throbbings of Christian love, stood 
ready to plant the banner of the cross in every dark corner of 
the inhabited globe. 

As those devoted men, with their no less devoted wives, 
entered upon their great work, observe how rapidly God moved 
upon other minds to prepare the needed facilities for carrying 
"this Gospel of the kingdom" with rapidity into "all the world," 
for a "witness unto all nations." While Carey, Judson, and 
Williams were planting the banner of the cross in the very 
strongholds of the barbarous and heathen lands; Charles, and 
Farn, and Hughes, and Steinkoph, and Owen, and Wilberforce, 
and Mills, and Boudinot, with many others, were laying the 
broad and deep foundations for the British and Foreign and 
the American Bible Societies. 

As late as 1777, while the Revolutionary War was in prog- 
ress, Congress was memorialized to print thirty thousand Bibles 
to supply the demand. But a lack of both paper and type 
made it impossible for this work to be done ; so the Committee 
on Commerce was empowered to import from Holland, Scot- 
land, or elsewhere, twenty thousand copies, at the expense of 
Congress. But they were also unable to carry out this scheme. 

In 1794, at the age of ten, Mary Jones, a little Welsh girl, 
began to lay by all the money she could possibly save, with 
which to purchase a Bible. In 1800, after six years of careful 
saving, she found herself in possession of the required sum. 
She walked twenty-five miles to Bala, the residence of Rev. 
Thomas Charles, to whom she had been directed. "When she 
first applied to Mr. Charles, and was told that the few copies 
he had were reserved for persons who had already made appli- 
cation for them, she burst into tears and sobs. The fond hope 
of years seemed to be blasted in a moment. These evidences 
of her sad disappointment led Mr. Charles at length to say, 
' My dear child, difficult as it is to spare you one, it is impos- 



IIO HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

sible — -yes, simply impossible — to refuse you.' And so she 
obtained the Bible, which, for the sixty-six remaining years of 
her life, was her most cherished possession." 

This was the condition a hundred years ago in the British 
Isle, the very home of Bible houses and Bible societies. Eight- 
een hundred years of the Christian era had passed away, and 
still the vital germs of Gospel truth had been so combated by 
the gross darkness of superstitious error that it was with the 
greatest difficulty and sacrifice that one of God's children could 
procure a copy of His Word. 

Bibles in those times, neither in this country nor abroad, 
were supplied in sufficient quantities or at a price low enough 
for the poor to possess copies of the Sacred Word ; but the 
Bible societies that sprang into existence during the first two 
decades of the nineteenth century were not long in providing 
facilities for placing the Bible in every home of the whole wide 
world. In 1806 the British and Foreign Bible Society was able 
to send its first wagon-load of Bibles into Wales. "It was 
received like the ark of the covenant; and the people, with 
shouts of great joy, dragged it into the city." But to-day car- 
load after car-load is shipped from the storerooms of our great 
Bible societies, and Wales is not alone in rejoicing over supplies 
of the Book of books. 

Missionaries have gone to many heathen tribes that had no 
literature, and consequently no written language. These faith- 
ful messengers of the Gospel have patiently labored until they 
have reduced these tribal dialects to a written speech, and then 
have translated the Scriptures into the w T ords that these people 
can comprehend. And now in every nation, also in the islands 
of the oceans, in over four hundred languages and dialects, 
the Bible is being furnished by millions of copies. Over ninety 
million dollars was expended by our Heaven-appointed Bible 
societies during the nineteenth century in giving the Scriptures 
to those who were destitute of the true riches offered in the 
divine precepts and promises. 



THE GOSPEL S PROGRESS 



1 I 1 



What an undertaking it was thus to give the Word of God 
to all the world! And how miraculous is the success with 
which it has been performed ! All through the dark centuries 
indestructible and all-powerful truth was only waiting for a 
sufficient soil to be prepared in which to find a lodgment; and 
then, towering up in its stupendous growth, it. outstrips all the 
marvels of all the ages. 

These favorable conditions were not reached, however, until 
"the time of the 
end;" but that time 
having arrived, the 
whole world is 
stirred to perform 
God's great work. 
The teaching of the 
Man of Nazareth 
and Galilee 
pi ows its 
way through 
mental rub- 
bish that is 
piled centu- 
ries high. 

The light of the eternal day breaks in upon longing hearts in 
England, in Germany, in Switzerland, and the Gospel enters 
upon its civilizing, liberating, and elevating work that is to 
reach "every nation" in "all the world." Bible societies spring 
up, and millions of copies of the Sacred Volume are speedily 
prepared. The poor seeker after divine truth need no longer 
walk twenty-five miles with the careful savings of six long 
years, only to be well-nigh disappointed in securing the valued 
treasure. No, indeed! Missionaries, with their hearts all 
aflame with love for their unfortunate fellow-creatures, gather 
up the stream of Bibles that pours from the press, and every 




British and Foreign Bible Society's Building, London. 



112 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



corner of the world is visited, and the Book of books is offered, 

yea, urged upon all. 

Carey was not afraid to encounter hardships in carrying the 

Gospel to India; courageous John Williams did not hesitate 

to plant the standard of 
the cross on the cannibal 
islands of the Pacific; 
Robert Morrison left his 
friends and native land 
behind him while he went 
to China, and devoted his 
life to giving the Scrip- 
tures to that people in 
their native tongue; and 
Japan, after a hard strug- 
gle, in which many devoted 
Christian men and women 
have lost their lives, has 
opened her doors to re- 

Corner in Bible storeroom —British and Foreign Bible Ceive the Word of God 
Society. . . 

This opening of the 
doors of progress to receive the Gospel light is not confined to 
what have been termed these more benighted heathen lands of 
the distant Orient; but the countries of Europe and western 
Asia that have refused to discuss matters of religion with the 
rest of the world, and that have shut away the missionaries 
who came to bring them light and truth, have one after another 
been opening their doors. Even Russia, that has been gener- 
ally considered one of the most despotic and intolerant powers, 
has bowed her head before the influences with which heaven 
is flooding the world, and the Czar, thus moved, has, by 
his ukase of religious toleration, nominally conceded to his 
subjects the right to follow the dictates of conscience in wor- 
shiping God; and also by the greater liberties he has granted 




THE GOSPELS PROGRESS 



113 



IS 1 






% 






to the agencies of the press. Even Tibet is required to come 
forth from her stubborn seclusion, so that her inhabitants may 
enjoy their right of the divine invitation to join the throng that 
will soon be brought into the joys of heaven. Thus nation after 
nation, island after island, have been entered, until nearly the 
whole world has the Scriptures of truth. The separating and 
hindering walls of religious despotism are being overthrown, and 
the King whose mighty scepter touches every world in all the 
universe is leveling the way so that His great commission can 
speedily and surely meet its fulfilment in an accomplished work. 
"This Gospel of the kingdom" will soon be proclaimed in all 
the earth, and "then 
shall the end come." 
Do we hear, it 
said that it is just a 
coincidence that the 
nineteenth century 
should have been 
the great century of 
missionary activity; 
that it should have 
been the great, cen- 
tury of Bible socie- 
ties; that it should 
have been the great 
century of the 
printing-press, so 
that these Bible so- 
cieties could have 
the sacred Book in 
quantities that are 
inexhaustible; that 

it should have been the great century of the railroad, so that 
missionaries could have visited every family in every country 




waM/iffff/m 



2RS*» 




i"^^5S55N. 



:X/m 



^% 



\ 







British and Foreign Bible Society, Shanghai, China. 



H4 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



place, hamlet, village, and city; that it should have been the 
great century of the steamship, so that every outlying habit- 
able island is reached; also that it should have been the 
century of every other one of the multiplied wonders of this 
marvelous age? 

Well, it may be best to acknowledge that this is indeed a 
coincidence; but back 
of all this stupendous 
array of coincidences 
there is the manifest 
working of the all- 
powerful hand of 
Divinity. Stop! 
Look around you! 
Is it not evident that 
''this Gospel of the 
kingdom" is doing 
its final witnessing in 
"all the world"? Is 
there not a prodigious 
" increase of knowl- 
edge," so vast in its 
proportions that even our quickened imaginations can scarcely 
reach beyond it? These are some among the many heralds of 
the breaking morn. 

Take time to think of it. The organized Bible .societies 
alone circulated over three hundred million copies of the Bible 
in that remarkable nineteenth century. They have translated 
it into more than four hundred languages and dialects; and, too, 
it should be stated that this does not include the large number 
of Bibles that have been printed and scattered by private firms. 
Surely these figures are significant in themselves alone. But 
when seen in the light of God's prophetic Word, they speak 
in no uncertain language. 




Bible cart, Japan. 



THE GOSPEL S PROGRESS I I 5 

"For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper 
than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder 
of soul and Spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a 
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Heb. 4:12. 

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incor- 
ruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. 
For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower 
of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth 
away; but the Word of the Lord endureth forever. And this 
is the Word which by the Gospel is preached unto you." 1 
Peter 1:23-25. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, 
neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the 
heavens are higher than the .earth, so are My ways higher than 
your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the 
rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth 
not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth 
and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the 
eater; so shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: 
it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall acco7nplish that 
which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent 
it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace; 
the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into 
singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 
Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead 
of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; and it shall be to the 
Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut 
off." Isa. 55:8-13. Such is the language of our heavenly 
Father's decree. His Word shall not return unto Him void. 
And just so surely as this is the decree of the Omnipotent One, 
so sure may w T e be that the present scattering of the Bible 
throughout- the world is the seed-sowing of the "Gospel of the 
kingdom." This work of sowing is now well along. The 
Master says when it is finished, "then shall the end come." 
He has told us, "The harvest is the end of the world." Matt. 



n6 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



13:39. What a glorious end that will be! It is not the end of 
joy, but the end of misery, and woe, and despair, and sin; and, 
while it is the end of all these things, it is also the beginning 
of the undisturbed bliss of that happy life the confines of which 
are the farther shores of eternity. What good news this is! 
Join in the chorus, and swell the song until every listening 
ear and waiting heart is reached. 







Bible boat, Siam. 




CHAPTER FOURTEEN 



THE prophetic Word is explicit in telling us of the " increase 
of knowledge" at "the time of the end;" it also tells us 
of the closing triumphs of the Gospel as it is "preached 
in all the world for a witness unto all nations." There is a 
wonderful weight of evidence in those two predictions alone; 
but still further and more minute particulars are presented in the 
inspired Book. It is not by disconnected and meager evidence 
that we are shown that the great day of the Lord is near; but 
one after another the striking characteristics of the "last days" 
are pointed out. All may see these things and thus "know," if 
they so desire, "when He is near." 

It seems wonderful that God should have told hundreds of 
years ago just what many of the people would be saying in the 
last days; but such is the literal truth. Upon this point care- 
fully read the following scripture : — 

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain 
of the Lord's house'shall be established in the top of the moun- 
tains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall 
flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and 
let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the 

117 



Il8 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we 
will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the 
law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He 
shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; 
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their 
spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword 
against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O 
house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the 
Lord." Isa. 2:2-5. 

The first sentence in this scripture tells very plainly when 
the prophecy will be fulfilled. In the clearest and simplest 
language we are informed of what " shall come to pass in the 
last days." Now observe particularly that "many people shall 
go and say' certain things. Do not make the mistake of 
supposing that God says these things; for He does not. The 
Lord is simply telling us in advance what " many people shall go 
and say" "in the last days." 

The reader will observe that these people say, "Come ye, 
and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of 
the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we 
will walk in His paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, 
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." These words are 
spoken by professors of religion. They talk of going to the 
house of God, and of being taught of His ways. 

Continuing, these "people" say further of the Lord that " He 
shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; 
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their 
spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against 
nation, neither shall they learn war any more." The Lord 
does not tell us that these things that "many people shall go 
and say" are the truth. He simply tells us that they will say 
them, and also when they will say them. 

It shows that the heavenly Father can read the future 
perfectly when He tells twenty-five hundred years or more in 



WHAT MANY PEOPLE SHALL SAY I 1 9 

advance even the sayings of the people in the last days. And 
this prophecy of Isaiah is repeated almost word for word by the 
prophet Micah in the fourth chapter of his book, thus showing 
that God revealed these same things to more than one of His 
prophets. 

Having learned in the foregoing paragraphs what the Lord 
tells us the people will be saying in the last days, and having 
produced some evidence in previous chapters to show that the 
last days are already reached, we proceed to look around us to 
ascertain if "many people" are even now saying these things as 
predicted by the prophets Isaiah and Micah. 

To some extent a few men at different times in the past have 
taught that a universal peace and reign of righteousness would 
prevail on the earth in its present state, and that Christ would 
come in person to rule over a converted world. But we wait 
for the dawning of the present century before this doctrine 
becomes a characteristic belief of "many people." To-day you 
will hear men eloquently teaching that the age in which we live 
is the beginning of the great millennium. In the literal words of 
the prophet, they are saying that a universal peace will make 
swords and spears no longer a necessity, and that they will be 
beaten into plowshares and pruning-hooks. They are actually 
saying, just as the prophets said they would, " Nation shall not 
lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any 
more." When the second coming of Christ is mentioned as 
being very near, the readiest and most popular objection is 
that "the millennium must come first, and all the world be led 
through the highways of peace into the blissful state of universal 
righteousness." 

How literally are these teachers fulfilling the Word of God! 
Instead of their teaching being an evidence that a time has come 
when peace is to reign over all, and "nation shall not lift up 
sword against nation," it is one of the unmistakable tokens of 
the days in which we live; for are not these "many people" 



120 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

even now saying- just what the all-wise Father said they would 
be saying when the end of time is at hand ? 

There can be no question but that thousands of those who 
have fallen into the snare, and are joining in these "last-day" 
sayings of the "many people," have taken up the delusion 
unwittingly, believing that it is the teaching of God's Word. 
But God's prophetic truth in regard to the condition of the 
world in the last days is the exact opposite of what the people 
in large numbers will be saying. How many are the errors 
and fatal deceptions from which men might be kept if they 
would only study the Bible with care! It should not be read 
superficially and only occasionally, but it should be constantly 
and closely studied; for as we study the Word faithfully, seeking 
to know only the truth, the heavenly Father sends His Spirit 
to be our unerring teacher. "Howbeit when He, the Spirit 
of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth; for He shall 
not speak of Himself; but whatsoever Fie shall hear, that shall 
He speak; and He will show you things to come." John 16:13. 

Returning to the second chapter of Isaiah, the reader is 
requested to give thoughtful attention to the words immediately 
following what the "many people " shall be saying. The Lord's 
words are: — 

"Therefore Thou hast forsaken Thy people the house of 
Jacob, because they be replenished ["filled with customs," R. V.] 
from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they 
please themselves in ["strike hands with," R. V.J the children of 
strangers. Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither 
is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of 
horses, neither is there any end of their chariots; their land 
also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, 
that which their own fingers have made; and the mean man 
boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself; therefore 
forgive them not. 

"Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of 



WHAT MANY PEOPLE SHALL SAY 1 2 I 

the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty. The lofty looks 
of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be 
bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. 
For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that 
is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up, and he 
shall be brought low; and upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that 
are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, and 
upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are 
lifted up, and upon every high tower, and upon every fenced 
wall, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant 
pictures. And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and 
the haughtiness of men shall be made low ; and the Lord alone 
shall be exalted in that day. And the idols He shall utterly 
abolish. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and 
into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the 
glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the 
earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his 
idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, 
to the moles and to the bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, 
and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and 
for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly 
the earth. Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils ; 
for wherein is he to be accounted of?" Isa. 2 :6— 22. 

Particular and careful study should be given to every one of 
these specifications. The thought of the reader will, however, be 
directed here to only a few of these remarkable utterances of Him 
who sees the end from the beginning. "Therefore Thou hast 
forsaken Thy people the house of Jacob;" "they please them- 
selves in the children of strangers;" "their land also is full of 
silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures;" 
"their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of 
their own hands." These words express God's estimate of the 
generation when "many" shall say that the time of universal 
peace and righteousness has come. How different is the picture 



{22 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

presented by the unerring One from that which "many people" 
would fain have us believe! 

Notice, further, what God says of the people in this time: 
"The mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth 
himself; therefore forgive them not." Yes, "the mean man 
boweth down," or, in other words, he is saying, as expressed in 
the third verse of this prophetic chapter, " Let us go up to the 
mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob." 
But though he goes to the house of God, he still remains a 
"mean man" He is a base hypocrite. He knows nothing in 
reality of the pure, unselfish Gospel of Christ that he professes 
to believe, and yet dishonors by his hypocrisy and deceit. 
There is no lack of professors. Even " the great man humbleth 
himself." When statistics are considered, there is an immense 
array of the vast number who are enrolled as the followers of 
Christ. But God's Word shows that this outward appearance 
is only a sham. The pure, unselfish character of the real 
Christ is left out of the lives of the greater part of this multi- 
tude of world-loving professors. It is the Word of God that 
presents these clearly-defined facts, and the reader's own obser- 
vation presses the conviction home upon the soul and conscience 
that God is true, and the "many people" to the contrary are 
wrong. 

The Father in heaven will be driven to the extremity of 
visiting dire punishment upon this base hypocrisy. "The great 
man" who "humbleth himself" in his deceitful pretensions of 
piety, and who, by lending his wide influence to the wrong, 
has led many more into the ways of error, will be overwhelmed 
beyond the powers of description by the waves of remorse that 
will break in upon his distressed and ruined soul. The best 
interests of these sinners themselves will not permit the Lord 
to allow them to continue in their evil course. There comes a 
time when divine forbearance no longer leads men to renounce 
the evil and turn into the pathway of righteousness, and then 



WHAT MANY PEOPLE SHALL SAY I 23 

God must of necessity arise to put an end to the devouring 
plague of sin. 

Read again the warnings to these "many people" who in 
"the last days" shall be teaching "peace and safety" to the 
world, when their voices should be sounding the trumpet notes 
of truth. God says: — 

"Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of 
the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty. The lofty looks 
of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be 
bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. 
For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that 
is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and 
he shall be brought low. . . . And the idols He shall utterly 
abolish. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into 
the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of 
His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In 
that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of 
gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the 
moles and to the bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, and 
into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and 
for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly 
the earth." Isa. 2:10-21. 

How clearly and graphically does this bring us face to face 
with "the day of the Lord of hosts"! The scenes of that great 
day are vividly depicted. It is stated that men will then cast 
away their "idols of silver" and "idols of gold, ... to go 
into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged 
rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty, 
when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth." 

God's message to those living in "the last days" is surely 
very different from the doctrine of the conversion of the .whole 
world and a universal peace. But bear in mind that for more 
than twenty-five hundred years the heavenly Father has been 
telling the world of the delusive teachings of this time. All 



124 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

about us to-day is the multitude whose very words are a 
strikingly literal fulfilment of this remarkable prophecy. The 
Lord has taken pains to tell us these things in advance. He 
not only wants us to know when we are near the end of time, 
but He seeks to shield us from falling into the snare of following 
the "many people" rather than the Word of God. 

It is a most marvelous thing that in the providence of God, 
nearly the whole world to-day has His Word to read. It is 
also a marvel that so many who profess to believe that Word 
do not study it sufficiently to understand its teaching, and 
thus be saved from the deceptive doctrines against which 
such faithful warnings are given. There is, perhaps, no one 
thing that is more universally believed than that the world is 
to reach a time when every nation will be resting in a settled 
and abiding peace; and it is an equally world-wide notion that 
during this all-pervading peace every sinner will be converted 
to God. But if men would only read and believe the Bible, 
they would find that these sayings of the people are false. 
Instead of their leading us to look for good times in this life, 
we should see in them one of the striking signs that the day is 
at hand for the great and final destruction of the sin with which 
this world is deluged. Every one of the senses is impressed 
with the awfully increasing depths of crime and wickedness that 
are devastating our once fair earth; and the gathering of the 
greatest armies and navies that the world has ever dreamed of 
is no indication of a world-wide peace. 

A single parable of the Master is sufficient, if read and 
believed, to dispel completely this delusion of a universal peace 
and the world's conversion. The parable reads thus: — 

"The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which 
sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy 
came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 
But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, 
then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the house- 



WHAT MANY PEOPLE SHALL SAY 1 25 

holder came and said unto him, Sir, didsi: not thou sow good 
seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said 
unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said 
unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up ? 
But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye 
root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together 
until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to 
the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them 
in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn." 
Matt. 13:24-30. 

There need be no mistaking the lesson that this parable is 
designed to teach; for the Lord Himself interprets it in the 
following explicit words : — 

"His disciples came unto Him, saying, Declare unto us the 
parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto 
them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the 
field is the world; the good seed are the children of the 
kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 
the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end 
of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore 
the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be 
in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth His 
angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that 
offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a 
furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the king- 
dom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." 

Matt. 13:36-43- 

Any one may understand this divine explanation of the 
parable. The wheat represents the good, and the tares the 
bad; both are to grow together till the harvest ; and the harvest 
is the end of the world. Those who give heed to these words 
of Christ, will have no room in their minds for a belief of the 
error, even though "many people" proclaim it, that this whole 



126 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

rebellious, wicked world shall nestle in the folds of peace, while 
arrogant and defiant sin makes a voluntary and unconditional 
surrender. 

But, notwithstanding the plain evidence to the contrary, 
there will still be many who will continue to chant the fatal 
error. The thing for you and me is to believe the Bible, and 
seek to lead as many as possible from mistaking the sayings of 
a deluded people for the voice of the God of truth. 

An apostle also tells of some other things that the people 
will be saying in the last days. His words are as follows: — 

"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days 
scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the 
promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all 
things continue as they were from the beginning of the crea- 
tion." 2 Peter ?>'>3, 4. 

The signs by which the heavenly Father designs that we 
may "know" when the end of time is at hand are appearing all 
around us. There are some who will see these tokens of the 
approach of the great day of God, and will urge them upon 
the attention of the people. But instead of every one being 
good and a friend of the Messiah, and rejoicing at the thought 
of His return to earth, " there shall come in the last days 
scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying. Where is 
the promise of His coming?" 

Perhaps these very ones who are scornfully saying, "Where 
is the promise of His coming?" are professors of His name; 
for Isaiah has told us of the "mean man" who will be making 
pretentious visits to the house of God, while he is at the same 
time advocating pernicious errors. Those who would really 
follow the Master, must indeed be on their guard. When the 
scoffer is met, instead of being discouraged by his derision, try 
to win him from his errors and lusts. And never lose sight of 
the fact that those who cling to their sins and scoffings, regard- 
less of all that divine love can do for them, serve to make up 



WHAT MANY PEOPLE SHALL SAY 1 27 

a part of the monumental evidence by which we "know" where 
we are in the stream of time. When the scoffer makes the 
remark, "Where is the promise of His coming?" do not cower 
before his ridicule nor allow it to disturb you. See his remarks 
in their true light. Recognize in what he is saying the unmis- 
takable fulfilment of prophecy right in your hearing and before 
your very eyes, and with all the love that is born of the great 
sacrifice of Christ seek to exercise that delicate skill in the use 
of your words and in what you do that will win him from 
the wrong, and turn his face to the great blazing light of 
prophetic truth. 

None but God could be so minute in describing the distin- 
guishing characteristics of a particular age; but see how defi- 
nitely His Word delineates the many features that mark this 
time. Even things that the people will be saying are pointed 
out. What marvelous foreknowledge does the Lord possess! 

You have heard the "many people" who are saying that 
"nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall 
they learn war any more;" you have also observed how readily, 
and to what an extent, the scoffer is saying, "Where is the 
promise of His coming?" Nothing seems to be a more 
favorite subject of ridicule with many than the coming of the 
Saviour. You have observed these things. Possibly you may 
be among those who have been repeating these prophetic 
sayings. But did you ever consider that even these sayings 
of the people are among the unmistakable evidences that mark 
this time? 





CHAPTER FIFTEEN 



INSTEAD of peace and righteousness filling the earth before 
the coming of the Lord, the Bible evidence is all to the 

contrary. We have seen that "many people" are teaching 
the doctrine of a millennium of peace and goodness; but 
a careful examination of God's Word is the only means of 
reaching the truth. Men may falsify even when their intentions 
are good, but the Word of God makes no mistakes. Hear 
what it says: — 

"As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the 
days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they 
married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that 
Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed 
them all. 

" Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot ; they did eat, 
they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 
but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and 
brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus 
shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." 
Luke 17:26-30. 

This scripture shows that the Saviour has selected the two 
most corrupt periods in the world's history as illustrative of 
128 



THE PREVALENCE OF CRIME A SIGN OF OUR TIMES 



I29 




"The same day that Lot went out 
of Sodom." 



what we are to see "in the 
day when the Son of man 
is revealed." The evil con- 
dition of the world in "the 
days of Noah" is very 
clearly set forth in another 
scripture. Of that time it 
is said, "God saw that the 
wickedness of man was 
great in the earth, and that every im- 
agination of the thoughts of his heart 
was only evil continually." Gen. 6:5. 
Then in Noah's time, no matter 
what the views of the people may have 
been, "God saw that the wickedness of 
man was great in the earth." The 
alarming darkness of the picture is 
shown still more fully by the further statement that "every 
imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil contin- 
ually." Such was the condition in that time. And when men 
have sunk to so great depths in the pit of degradation that 
there is in the mind no pure and holy desire, when "every 
imagination of the thoughts" of the heart is "only evil" and 
that "continually" what could be worse? 

If we have been fondly cherishing a contrary view, it may 
not be pleasant at the outset to contemplate these facts ; but it 
is always best to be right first and above everything else, and 
in the end it will be seen that the way of truth leads to the only 
real happiness. Then do not forget that the Lord tells us that 
"as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of 
the Son of man." 

But we have not read all that is said of the wickedness in 
the days of Noah. It is further stated that "the earth also was 
corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And 



130 



HERALDS CF THE MORNING 



God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all 
flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth." Gen. 6: u, 12. 

" The earth was filled with violence," and "all flesh had 
corrupted his way upon the earth." Such are the expressive 
utterances of this scripture with reference to the condition of 
society in Noah's time. Because man had become so corrupt, 
so degraded, so vile, God was obliged to destroy the race by 




"As it was in the days of Noah." 

the flood. The infinite kindness of Infinite Mercy could devise 
nothing that would save that corrupt people. Goodness no 
longer appealed to them. The right, the pure, and the holy 
was only a subject of ridicule and contempt ; and if we will 
believe the Word of God, we may know that "as it was in the 
days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man." 
Every person must carry the conviction, whether he will 



THE PREVALENCE OF CRIME A SIGN OF OUR TIMES 131 

freely acknowledge it or not, that our day and generation is 
as remarkable for its corruption and violent crimes as it is 
for its wonderful inventions and material progress. It would 
be useless to wander at length through the maze of statistics 
in order to show the alarming progress that evil is making. 
All have the unmistakable evidence about them continually 
that wickedness in its darkest forms is taking complete posses- 
sion of this whole world. As Charles B. Spahr, Ph. D., 
expresses it : — 

" Upon matters coming within its field, the common obser- 
vation of common people is more trustworthy than the statis- 
tical investigations of the most unprejudiced experts. Social 
statistics are only trustworthy when they show to the world 
at large what common observation shows to those personally 
familiar with the conditions described." 

Ask yourself the question candidly and seriously, " Have 
I not been alarmed because of the robberies, the murders, 
the drunkenness, the dishonesty, and the many other crimes 
that are seen on every hand?" This is an age in which cor- 
ruption in political and social life is simply appalling. If we 
look to the rising generation for help, we find no relief; for 
even our little boys and girls in large numbers are becoming 
expert criminals. The facts upon this question are so open 
that common, every-day observation is really all we need to 
show us the true condition of our times. 

Such men as W. Douglas Morrison, who has made a careful 
and exhaustive study of criminals and the causes that produce 
them, with the one thought in mind of suggesting remedies 
by which the evil may be abated, testifies that "the amount 
of crimes committed, whether by juveniles or adults, is always 
largely in excess of the amount of crime recorded in the most 
complete and elaborate public returns." See "Juvenile Of- 
fenders," p. 2, D. Appleton & Co. 

The same author, speaking from the view-point of "a wide 



132 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

experience of the criminal population," says: "One of the 
formidable problems confronting civilized communities at the 
close of the present century is the problem of habitual crime. 
It is perfectly well known to every serious student of criminal 
questions, both at home and abroad, that the proportion of 
habitual criminals in the criminal population is steadily on the 
increase, and was never so high as now. In almost every 
official document dealing with penal administration, this unsat- 
isfactory state of things is both admitted and deplored." — Id., 
Preface, p. 5. 

Writing from his office in London, Mr. Morrison says 
further: "Whether we look at home or abroad, whether we 
consult the criminal returns of the Old World or the New, we 
invariably find juvenile criminality exhibiting a distinct tendency 
to increase. It is a problem which is not confined to any single 
community ; it is confronting the whole family of nations; it is 
arising out of conditions which are common to civilization." — 
Id., Preface, p. 8. 

Upon this subject of the criminality of our time the Catholic 
Mirror says editorially:- — 

"In an article recently, Professor Andrew D. White, who 
is not given to sensational statements, draws attention to the 
extraordinary increase of crime throughout the country. That 
there is such an increase, no statistics are needed to show ; for 
we have proof of it, such as can scarcely have escaped the 
attention of even careless readers, in the daily papers. Shock- 
ing occurrences are chronicled — murder in all its forms, robbery, 
felonious assaults, and every kind of vicious manifestation." 

The several foregoing quotations are from gentlemen who 
are not only eminent for their education, wide experience, and 
public services, but who are decidedly optimistic in their general 
views; hence their statements would not be overdrawn, and are 
entitled to the most candid consideration. 

Similar statements equally as strong as the foregoing could 



THE PREVALENCE OF CRIME A SIGN OF OUR TIMES 1 33 

be quoted at length from numerous other sources, but it is 
unnecessary. The reader's own personal observation enables 
him to know that crime is increasing rapidly, and has already 
reached a terrible stage. 

How heart-sickening is the fact, disclosed by the criminal 
records of the day, that even women, young girls, and little 
boys, as well as men, have become so lawless and vicious as to 
commit the darkest crimes, even to audacious highway robbery 
and the foulest murder! Any one knows that these records 
chronicling, as they do, such a variety of crimes, may be found 
in our daily papers three hundred and sixty-five days out of 
every year. How clearly and completely are the prophetic 
words of our Saviour thus fulfilled before us! 

Reader, as you see this constant outbreaking of crime all 
around you, are you not forcibly reminded of the inspired 
description of Noah's time? "God looked upon the earth, and, 
behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon 
the earth, and God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come 
before Me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; 
and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth." Gen. 6:12, 13. 

In considering these inspired words, do not overlook the 
fact that "as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in 
the. days of the Son of Man." Luke 17:26. 

The reader may have believed heretofore that the w r orld will 
march on to a great millennium of righteousness and peace 
before the Saviour's coming, but still the mind must often have 
been disturbed by the lack of harmony between the peace- 
millennium theory and the appalling facts concerning the crimi- 
nality that, like a malignant plague, is breaking out everywhere. 
Some theories and the facts may fail to harmonize; but God's 
Book and the facts will never fail to be in unison. We should 
study the Bible ; we should believe it and rely upon it fully, for 
we shall need its perfect light to guide us through the perils 
and amid the darkness of these last days. 




CHAPTER SIXTEEN 



A PRACTISE has grown up within the last few years of 
presenting technicalities and various quibbles in courts, 
so that criminal cases are carried from one tribunal to 
another, until the guilty are finally set free without receiving the 
just and lawful punishment that their evil deeds deserve. The 
current writings of prominent lawyers and judges make frequent 
mention of this fact, but no human language expresses it so 
forcibly as the inspired prophet. Hear what he says: — 

" Our transgressions are multiplied before Thee, and our sins 
testify against us; for our transgressions are with us; and as for 
our iniquities, we know them; in transgressing and lying against 
the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppres- 
sion and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of 
falsehood. And judgment is turned away backward, and justice 
standeth afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity can 
not enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil 
maketh himself a prey; and the Lord saw it, and it displeased 
Him that there was no judgment." Isa. 59 : 12-15. 

There may have been times and places since Isaiah uttered 
this prophecy in which judgment was " turned away backward," 
and justice stood "afar off," because "truth had fallen in the 

134 



JUDGMENT IS- TURNED AWAY BACKWARD 1 35 

streets," and equity could not "enter;" but never has it been so 
literally and universally true as to-day; and all these prophetic 
utterances concerning the children of Israel in the old dispen- 
sation, while they doubtless had a partial and incidental fulfil- 
ment in those times, are yet especially applicable in these last 
days. For, speaking of ancient Israel, the apostle says: — 

" Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples; 
and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends 
of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he 
standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation 
taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, 
who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; 
but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye 
may be able to bear it." i Cor. 10: n-13. 

Then "all these things happened" unto the Israel of old for 
"ensamples," and "they are written for our admonition, upon 
whom the ends of the world are come." There is no necessity 
for mistake here. All we need to do is faithfully to consider 
and heed what these scriptures say. 

There is another scripture that it will be well for us fre- 
quently to study. It says: "Woe to the inhabiters of the 
earth and of the sea ! for the devil is come down unto you, 
having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a 
short time." Rev. 12:12. 

Satan manifests "great wrath" when "he knoweth that he 
hath but a short time." He profits by all his experience in all 
the past ages in leading men to commit sin. As his time grows 
shorter and shorter, he becomes more and more enraged; and 
those who do not resist his influence by relying upon God 
and the power of His Word, are taken possession of by his 
satanic cunning. Thus will men be transformed into demons to 
do deeds of injustice and cruelty that will cause an involuntary 
shudder from all who have not closed their hearts against 
the tender influences of God's merciful Spirit. We see the 



I36 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

beginnings of the evils now. What will be the state of things 
when to its extreme limit it is true that "truth faileth; and he 
that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey"! 

The reader has doubtless been impressed to some extent 
at least by the lack of justice among men; but how many have 
opened their eyes wide, so that they can see the true condition 
of our world? How does the heart grow sad and sick at the 
contemplation of the enormous degree to which ''judgment is 
turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off"! 

To an alarming extent our cities are passing under the 
control of the corrupt and criminal classes. In saying this I 
am not confiding to the reader a secret, but am simply stating 
a fact that hundreds of tongues and pens are discussing. What 
to do with the great cities is one of the most discussed and 
perplexing questions of the age. The reason for this is that 
the political "boss" has taken possession of the city govern- 
ment, and persistently and effectually holds it in the interest 
of his friends, who subsist upon that which may be secured by 
fraud or otherwise, through the "political machine." 

It is a source of gratification and thankfulness that there 
are still some honorable and honest public men. Were it not 
for the influence of the sterling integrity of these, who can 
picture what our world would be? But how long can these 
faithful guardians of official uprightness hold in check the tides 
of evil that come rolling in? When the last barrier is swept 
away, and, as in the days of Noah, this earth, in its private 
citizens and public officials as well, is wholly given to evil, a 
merciful and just God could do nothing short of coming in 
person to destroy the world in its iniquity. In the past, when 
portions of the world have become irredeemable Sodoms of 
corruption, it has been the invariable course of our divine 
Father to visit them with destruction. And when the whole 
world reaches like depths of wickedness, He can not be con- 
sistent without following His usual plan. 



JUDGMENT IS TURNED AWAY BACKWARD 1 37 

Let the reader turn his back upon sentiment, and look at 
the facts as they actually exist. For certainly there is as yet 
no sentimentalism that can so completely benumb the percep- 
tibilities that the true condition of the world may not be seen. 

It is a common saying that money carries with it all the 
influence needed to blind the eyes of justice and defeat the 
purpose of properly enacted law. The records of courts and 
legislatures show many tracings of the influence of money, 
both in the enactment of law and in the execution of laws 
already enacted ; and if all that the records do not show could 
be revealed, many more immense volumes would undoubtedly be 
required to tell the story. But it seems to pass without serious 
contradiction that great combinations of capital work together 
to control elections and enact laws that suit their purposes; 
and if some are brought before the bar, there is a process of 
delays, quibbles, and appeals from one court to another, until 
justice is turned away, and evil and oppression for the time 
at least stalk about in haughty triumph. 

With these corrupting influences at work in legislatures and 
courts, is it any wonder that the police force of our large cities 
should also become infected with the evil contagion ? The 
extent to which they are affected may be judged somewhat 
from what was brought to light by the Lexow Committee in 
New York City during the years 1894 and 1895. Similar 
exposures have been made more recently, but this one in New 
York is taken because that city stands as the great influential 
commercial head of this nation. Complaints had become so 
strong against the official corruption of the great metropolis of 
the New World that the New York Senate appointed a com- 
mittee, with Mr. Lexow at its head, to make an investigation. 

The committee held seventy sittings, and its proceedings 
were all made public through the papers at the time, and 
afterward published in five large volumes of eleven hundred 
pages each. It would not be proper nor profitable to conduct 



13^ HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

the reader through all that mire of corruption; but in brief it 
may be stated that it was proved conclusively upon sworn 
testimony that many of the politicians, the police, and the 
magistrates were confederate with the criminals and promoters 
of vice, and were dividing their spoils on a regular percentage 
basis. This gross evil and injustice was not confined to a 
few subordinate policemen; but the whole force, from captains 
down, was found to be very largely affected by this collusion 
with the perpetrators of crime. 

They had the matter so thoroughly organized that the thief 
or confidence man could lure his victim into a saloon or some 
other den, and without fear of molestation proceed to rob him. 
A complaint would be lodged at police headquarters, and a 
detective sent to hunt out the criminal and bring him to justice; 
but the detective himself would be a part of the organized 
banditti, and of course know the best way not to find the 
thief. If, by force of unavoidable circumstances, the police 
were compelled to arrest one of these thugs, then the magistrate 
would come in to play his part; and as all hands had already 
received their proportionate share of the plunder, the thief or 
confidence trickster would be turned loose again just as soon 
as possible, so that he might go in quest of more victims to 
despoil. And thus this conspiracy would continue its dia- 
bolical work. 

Most of the readers of this book doubtless know about 
that revelation of the most shameful corruption in the city of 
New York, — that city which ought to be one of the crowning 
glories of the great American commonwealth. But some may 
not be aware of the scandalous crimes that were committed in 
common between thieves, assassins, confidence men, and those 
who were entrusted with the high responsibility of guarding 
the peace and good order of the city. Those who have lived 
in such happy seclusion that even the rumors of the prevailing 
wickedness of this age have not reached them, may be incred- 



JUDGMENT IS TURNED AWAY BACKWARD I 39 

ulous. They may think it is impossible that such things exist. 
They will ask in surprise and horror, "Do you mean to say 
that a police officer can not always be trusted? Is there a 
possibility that he may be in a secret confederacy with the 
murderer and the highwayman?" It is appalling to think of 
it; but such is the literal condition in that great center of com- 
merce, art, and education, the metropolis of the republic and 
the second city in size and importance in all the world. And 
since the mother city has set the diabolical example, it is not 
to be wondered at that so many other cities, towns, and villages, 
like Steffens' characterization of Minneapolis, St. Louis, Pitts- 
burg, and Philadelphia, have been marching to the intoxicating 
quickstep music of fraud and vice and crime. 

So thoroughly is this system of criminality organized and 
worked that a collector is appointed to exact the bribes and 
blackmail, and pay over the proper proportion to the police 
captain and his associates in this nefarious work. The following 
are some of the amounts regularly collected by the policeman 
of New York City as the price for keeping his official eyes 
closed, and for doing all within his power not to catch the 
criminal, but to help him to get away: Pool-rooms, from $50 
to $300 a month; policy-shops, from $20 to $25 a month; 
liquor-dealers, $2.00 a month; prostitutes, from 50 cents a day 
to $1.00 a week, each; houses of ill-fame, from $10 to $50 
a month. 

In the pool-rooms and policy-shops, — and they are usually 
in the back part of some saloon, — every form of robbery is 
concocted and carried out. The city is districted, and each 
thief and confidence man has a given territory in which to 
work, and if in plying his infamous business one of them, either 
by chance or design, gets out of his prescribed limits into the 
territory of another, he is promptly notified by the police in 
that section that he must desist, or be "run in." 

As we might naturally expect, in operating such a system 



I40 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

of iniquity, policemen are appointed and promoted, not on 
account of bravery or any other peculiar fitness for the respon- 
sibilities of the office, but because, according to the slang of 
politics, they have a "pull." But notwithstanding the "pull," 
they have to pay for the office. The price, according to the 
testimony before the Lexow Committee, that a police captain 
has to pay for his appointment to office is $15,000. This 
money goes to the "ring" politicians, who use it according to 
their corrupt desires in perpetuating their office and power; 
and of course the captain expects to have it returned with 
usury by the hand of his subordinate associates in crime. What 
a system! What depths of debauchery and wicked injustice 
are reached! 

Space can not be given to the recital of the long story of 
oppression and worse than highway robbery that are carried 
on under this high-handed system of iniquity; but a represent- 
ative case may help to a fuller understanding of the awful 
depths of the pit of evil, which now exists. Mrs. Urchittel, a 
Russian Jewess widow, had a most sad experience while under 
the heel of this cruel tyranny. We will let her tell, in her own 
simple language, her story of sorrow and oppressive injustice. 
As found in the Lexow Report it is as follows: — , 

"In 1 89 1 I came to New York, a widow with four children; 
my husband died in Hamburg. Being without means, I applied 
to the Hebrew Charities on Eighth Street for help, and they 
were kind enough to support me for starting a boarding-house 
in 166 Division Street, and gave me for furniture and other 
necessities, and besides $60, sent immigrants to my boarding- 
house. My business was increasing daily, having thirty to 
thirty-five persons every week, and in eight months I saved 
$600. I worked hard, indeed; but I did it gladly, knowing 
that this will enable me to support my children, the orphans. 

"The immigration having been stopped, I had to give up 
boarding business; and applying again to the Charities, they 



JUDGMENT IS TURNED AWAY BACKWARD 141 

supported me again, giving me $150, and sent me to Browns- 
ville, where I bought a restaurant and made a nice living. But 
having the misfortune to lose one of my beloved children, I 
left Brownsville, after staying there but a little time, and came 
back to New York. 

"I bought a cigar store in 33 Pitt Street, corner of Broome, 
for $175, and gave the landlord $40 security, and supplied 
more goods for $50. On the second day of my taking posses- 
sion of the store, a man came in and bought a package of chew 
tobacco for five cents. A couple of days later the same man 
came in, asking me for a package of chew tobacco, to trust 
him, which I refused, excusing myself; being recently the 
owner of that store, I don't know anybody of that surrounding. 
I can not do it. He took then out a dollar of his pocket, and 
gave it to me for changing; and having no small change, only 
pennies, which he wouldn't take, I sent my little daughter to 
get other coin for the dollar, and handing same to the man, 
I felt a tickling in my hand caused by the quarter of the 
dollar in the hand of the man, and I said good-by to him. 

"On the evening of that day another man came in the 
store, and told me that the man who was before asking for 
chew tobacco without money is a detective, and that he has 
a warrant to arrest me, and I can avoid the trouble by giving 
the detective $50, and refusing to do it I will be locked up, 
and my children taken away from me till the twenty-first year. 
Not knowing to have done anything wrong, I laughed at the 
man, and told him that I wouldn't give a cent to anybody, 
and if that man should come in again, I will chase him out 
with a broom. 

"The other night, at eleven o'clock, the children being 
asleep already, the same man who asked me to trust him the 
chew tobacco, and after which I learned he was a detective 
named Hussey, came in with another man, who took away 
my cousin that came to see me in that night, and the detective 



I42 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

remained with me alone in the store. He told me then that 
he knows that I keep a disorderly house, and saved $600 of 
that dishonest business. If I wanted to escape being arrested, 
he wanted $50. I opposed to his assertion, and protested 
against his wanting money of me, saying that I ever made a 
living by honest business; but he wouldn't listen to me, and 
in spite of my protesting and the crying of my children, I 
was forced to leave my store and follow him. 

"As we were two blocks away, we met Mr. Hochstein, 
and, crying, I told him all my trouble, and how I don't know 
anything about the false accusations. It was of no avail; Mr. 
Hochstein told me that the detective wants $75, but he will 
try to settle it with $50, but without any money nothing can 
be done for me; and gave me also his advice, to pay $10 
monthly to the detective, I wouldn't be troubled at all, and that 
I should resume my business unhindered. I repeated again 
that I don't know anything about dishonest business, but it 
was no use talking more. 

" I was dragged from corner to corner till three o'clock in 
the morning, insisting that I had money with me, $600, I kept 
it in my stockings. Weary and tired out, I sat down at the 
corner of Essex and Rivington Streets, at a dry goods store, 
and took off my stockings, showing that I had no money in 
them. 'If you don't want to give the money,' said the detect- 
ive to me, 'I can't help it; you must follow me to the station- 
house/ Being convicted that it is impossible that I should 
escape without giving money, I took out $25 of my pocket, 
the only money I had, and handed them over to the detective 
standing by a window, which money was parted between Mr. 
Hochstein and himself, he taking $13 and Hochstein $12. 

"They went with me to Essex Street, and, sending me in 
through a gate in the house, where I was kept about two 
minutes, they sent me home after with the warning to be 
prepared with $50. At seven o'clock in the morning the 



JUDGMENT IS TURNED AWAY BACKWARD 1 43 

detective, Hussey, came to my store asking for the money. 
I cried again and begged him to let me go, that I am not 
able to give him any more money; but he didn't want to hear 
me any more, and I had to follow him. By the signal of a 
whistle a man came near me, and the detective gave me over 
to him with the remark not to let me go till I have the $50. 
The name of that man is Mr. Meyer. I went with him to 
Mr. Lefkovitz, manufacturer of syrups, 154 Delancey Street, 

and to Mr. Frank , for selling the store even for the $50; 

but they didn't want to buy it, seeing the man after me and 
fearing trouble. After trying in vain to sell the store, the 
detective said to Mr. Meyer: 'That bad woman don't want 
to give the money. Take her to the court.' And I had to 
stay at the trial. 

"Two bad, disreputed boys were engaged by the detective, 
Hussey, for witness. The one said that he gave me fifty cents 
for gratifying him, and the other said that he would give me 
forty cents, and I did not agree, asking fifty; and thus I was 
detained in default of $500 bail. Having been sitting in the 
court, the detective, Hussey, came in to me on the same day 
at four o'clock p. m., and told me that my children are already 
taken away from my house, and if I can give him the $50, he 
can help me even now. 

" Hearing the distress of my poor children, I cried loudly, 
and a lady took me to a dark room, where I was locked up. 
Unable to procure bail, I was imprisoned for three days, and 
sent after to the Tombs, where I had to stand trial. 

"There were about fifty persons to witness that I had 
always made an honest living; but they were not asked at all, 
and being wholly unable to understand the English language, 
I couldn't defend myself. The lawyer who was sent from the 
Hebrew Charities, came too late, and had to give only the 
certificate of the society, testifying that I was supported by 
them, and led a decent living. But this came too late. 



144 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

"I was fined $50. My brother sold my store for $65, and 
paid the fine. 

"I ran then crazy for my children; for I didn't know where 
they were. Meeting the detective he told me that they are 
in the hands of a society in Twenty-third Street. I ran there, 
but no one knew of my children. Finally, after five weeks, I 
received a postcard of my child, that the children are at One 
Hundred and Fifty-first Street and Eleventh Avenue, and 
when I got there, and begged to give me back my children, 
none would hear me. 

"Grieved at the depth of my heart, seeing me bereaved 
of my dear children, I fell sick, and was lying six months in 
the Sixty-six Street hospital, and had to undergo a great 
operation by Professor Mundy. After I left the hospital, I 
had the good chance to find a place in 558 Broadway, where 
I fixed up a stand by which I am enabled to make a nice 
living, to support and educate my children. I went again to 
Twenty-third Street, begging to release my children, and that 
was denied again. My heart craves to have my children 
with me. 

" I have nothing else in the world only them. I want to 
live and die for them; I lay my supplication before you, 
honorable sir, father of family, whose heart beats for your 
children, and feels what children are to a faithful mother. 
Help me to get my children. Let me be mother to them. 
Grant me my holy wish, and I will always pray for your happi- 
ness, and will never forget your kind and benevolent act toward 
me." — Proceedings of Lexow Committee, vol. j, pp. 2, g6i-g6^. 

It would seem that the knowledge of having perpetrated 
such deeds of inhuman and worse than barbarous cruelty would 
cause shame, remorse, and indignant self-condemnation, and 
that even a demon would be led to forsake with disgust such 
injustice and oppression. But such is not the case. We are 
in the time that corresponds to the days of Noah, and the 



JUDGMENT IS TURNED AWAY BACKWARD 1 45 

wickedness of man is "great in the earth," and " every imag- 
ination of the thoughts of his heart" is "only evil continually." 

The case of Mrs. Urchittel is by no means an isolated one. 
The committee reported that "many cases of similar oppression 
are found on the record." They also say in this report: — 

"Oppression of the lowly and unfortunate, the coinage of 
money out of the miseries of life, is one of the noteworthy 
abuses into which the department has fallen. 

"The evidence of many witnesses shows the existence of 
a wonderful conspiracy in the neighborhood of Essex Market 
police court, headed by politicians, including criminals, profes- 
sional bondsmen, professional thieves, police, and those who 
lay plots against the unwary, and lead them into habits of law- 
breaking, or surround them with a network of false evidence, 
and then demand money as the price of salvation, and if they 
do not receive it, drag their victims into court and prison, and 
often to a convict's cell."— Proceedings of Lexow Committee, 
vol. 1, pp. 43, 44. 

After reviewing this system of crime, Mr. Stead tersely 
remarks: "Is it any wonder that the Lexow Commission 
reported under the head of 'Brutality' as it existed in the 
police force, 'This condition has grown to such an extent that 
even in the eyes of our foreign-born residents, our institutions 
have been degraded, and those who have fled from oppression 
abroad have come here to be doubly oppressed in a professedly 
free and liberal country'?" — Satan s Invisible World Displayed, 
p. 144. 

It was fondly hoped by many that the exposures by the 
Lexow Committee of this sink of corruption would produce a 
public sentiment that would sweep it from the earth ; but these 
high hopes have not been realized. The subject was discussed 
quite freely at the time, but as yet no reformation has been 
reported. During the sixties, "Boss" Tweed was perpetra- 
ting fraud and scandals as leader of his political ring in New 



I46 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

York that created even a greater sensation at that time than 
these more recent exposures through the Lexow Commission. 
Tweed was finally arrested and lodged in jail, where he died. 
It was said that his criminal extortions had brought him, as 
his share, a fortune of $20,000,000. He was living like an 
ancient Persian prince when he was taken into custody. It 
was supposed that his "ring" was broken up, and with it the 
evil destroyed; but the seeds of corruption had been sown, 
and the facts show that the crop is still most amazingly prolific. 

The New York Tribune evidently has not seen any improve- 
ment in that city or the country at large, as witness the fol- 
lowing from its issue of January 11, 1898: — 

"The practise among burglars and highwaymen of using 
torture to compel their victims to tell where they have hidden 
their money seems to be on the increase, and thieves appear 
to be even more ready now with knife or pistol than they 
were in former years. It is painfully evident that murderous 
criminals now feel less fear of punishment in many parts of 
the country than they felt in the eighties or the early 
nineties." 

A committee was appointed by the Illinois Senate to make 
investigations in Chicago similar to those made in New York 
by the Lexow Committee. In the New York Sun of January 
27, 1898, may be found a brief report of some of the work 
done in Chicago by this committee. The report is headed 
"Corruption in Chicago," and shows that the condition of that 
great city is by no means better than was found to be the 
case in New York. The same issue of the Sun heads another 
article — 



CHICAGO'S HOLD=UP RECORD. 



Two Men Try to Rob a Saloon in Charge of a Woman. 



POLICEMAN DISGRACED. 



JUDGMENT IS TURNED AWAY BACKWARD 1 47 

The " disgrace" of the policeman consisted in first " holding 
up " two men and demanding their cash, and afterward being 
discharged from the police force because of "conduct unbe- 
coming an officer." It was such "unbecoming conduct" as 
this that led the head of the Chicago police, when before the 
investigating committee, to "apologize for the thugs and toughs 
who had been appointed as members of the police force since 
he was made chief." 

At about the same time that this investigation was being 
conducted in Chicago, a number of clergymen in Philadelphia 
were probing the evils there; and, according to the New York 
World of January 28, 1898, the Quaker City was found to be 
worse than New York had been. The ministers testified that 
there was plenty of evidence to show that the police of that 
place, too, were in league with the criminals. Following these 
exposures have been the more recent one in St. Louis, that 
has attracted international attention, as well as lesser ones in 
Minneapolis, San Francisco, and elsewhere. 

These evils are not confined to the cities of the United 
States, as is very well known. From time to time the period- 
icals of the day are telling us of the corrupting influences that 
are leavening the cities of the Old World as well. During the 
latter weeks of 1898 the papers were reporting and deploring 
the frauds and crimes that were being committed by high 
officials in the city of London, " the great metropolis of the 
world." The reports showed, among other things, that the same 
scandalous crimes were being carried on there under the cover 
of official protection and collusion that the Lexow Committee 
discovered and exposed in New York. 

Not being content with these despicable methods of cruelly 
extorting money from the poor and defenseless, business enter- 
prises have been launched by smooth-tongued "promoters," 
and millions of dollars have been taken from the wealthy in 
both the Old World and the New through misrepresenting the 



I4& HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

earning capacity of fictitious speculative corporations. Men 
supporting titles and holding positions that should carry with 
them a dignity that would not stoop to such practises, have 
assisted the "promoter" by lending their names and influence 
to extort money from those seeking places to invest their means. 

During the year 1897, sums aggregating $11,154,530 were 
embezzled in this country alone ; and of this money more than 
three and a half millions were taken by public officials. This 
of course represents public funds that were taken outright, and 
the embezzlers caught at their deeds; but when so much is 
stolen in this way, it is not to be supposed that all are found 
out; and those who are arrested have such resources in bribes, 
lawyers' technicalities, pardons, etc., that it is difficult for justice 
to be secured. 

The lord chief justice of England, on Lord Mayor's day, 
November 9, 1898, during a brief address, pointed out some 
of the frauds and embezzlements that are such a menace to the 
people of Great Britain ; and, after speaking of the evils that 
were being committed by men in high positions, he stated that 
careful official research showed that corporation officials had 
embezzled ^28,159,482, or about $140,000,000, during the 
seven years ending with 1897. He said, "These figures relate 
only to companies wound up compulsorily." And, after men- 
tioning other cases that were not taken into account in the 
foregoing figures, he adds that if these latter companies are 
reckoned among the rest, "the loss to the public is enormous." 
Thus Great Britain's defalcations that are sought out and 
reported average about twenty millions annually. These figures 
seem "enormous" enough, but still they show only a part of 
the depths of the yawning abyss of crime. 

It is a noteworthy fact that, whether it is across the water 
or in this land of America, when honest, thinking men meet 
to-day, one of the uppermost topics of discussion is, "What 
shall we do to stay the avalanche of criminality that is coming 



JUDGMENT IS TURNED AWAY BACKWARD 1 49 

down upon us?" There are criminals in high stations and 
criminals in the back alleys and gutters — criminals have stolen 
influential offices of state, and climbed into the judgment-seat. 
"What can be done?" is the anxious query. 

Not the least interesting, or, more properly stated, the most 
amusing, if not so fraught with evil, among the facts brought out 
in connection with this epidemic of crimes are the conscientious 
scruples that some of these monstrosities of evil have. For 
instance, one police captain said he was a Christian, and there- 
fore did not want to receive any of the blackmail extorted from 
prostitutes. He would receive his share of the sums extorted 
from the poor victims in policy shops, or that which was taken 
by the highwayman; but when it came to receiving a share of 
the spoils gathered from the houses of ill-fame, his conscience 
was too tender to receive it. We may smile at this, and yet it is 
a serious matter to this depraved officer of the law. And when 
we see that men can sink so low, and still, even in the society 
of their corrupt associates, flaunt their counterfeit piety and 
diseased conscientiousness, it shows that the cunning of Satan 
can even make a man believe that his despicable crimes may all 
be covered by some act of feigned piety. 

The foregoing pages take only the briefest and most limited 
survey of the increasing injustice of our time. Nor has it been 
the design of the author to always select the most recent or 
the most unrighteous deeds from this political and social mire 
of the present days. It has been the design to select repre- 
sentative cases that mark the fulfilment of these prophecies. 
The reader has no doubt been compelled to see and hear much 
more of it; for it is distressingly prevalent everywhere. The 
important question is, What does it portend ? 

Surely the evils in Noah's time could not have been much 
greater or darker than those which are cursing the world to-day. 
Most literally are we in the time when "judgment is turned 
away backward, and justice standeth afar off; for truth is fallen 



x 5o 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



in the street, and equity can not enter. Yea, truth faileth; and 
he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey; and the 
Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no judgment." 
Isa. 59:14, 15. 

Looking to this world, the prospect is gloomy enough 
indeed; but there is a gleaming of light. It is not centered in 
this corrupt earth, however, but it is shining from that Book 
which holds forth the promises of the Coming One. All hail to 
this glorious light of eternal day! Justice in the earth is hard 
to find; but justice from on high is about to strike. Who, with 
a knowledge of the facts, can expect that it will be long delayed? 




AVOMj 




CHAPTER 

SEVENTEEN 



T should be particu- 
larly noticed that in 
speaking of the days 
of Noah the record says: "The end of all flesh is come before 
Me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, 
behold, I will destroy them with the earth." Gen. 6:13. 

At that time the land had become "filled with violence," and 
God found it necessary to destroy the earth. The misery, the 
oppression, the vices and crimes that abound when every- 
thing is given up to evil, would of course, if time were given 
them, work out the destruction of the whole race; but it would 
be amid prolonged tortures and indescribable anguish, from 
which no possible good could result. Hence the divine destruc- 
tion of such abandoned evil, when viewed from the correct 
standpoint, is the measuring out of infinite mercy. 

The agencies are actively working which must soon produce 
the terrible condition of which it will truly be said "the earth 
is filled with violence." Who has not been impressed by the 
rapidly-increasing tendency toward "mob law"? Day by day 
the record comes to us of some poor wretch who, without the 
benefit of either judge or jury, is taken with "violence," and 
brutally and inhumanly put to death. Leading jurists and 
10 15* 



152 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

statesmen, viewing this increasing tendency to mob "violence" 
in dealing with crime, regard the situation with grave appre- 
hension. The Hon. I. C. Parker, judge of the United States 
District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, says : — 

"When we go to the facts, we find that during the last six 
years there have been 43,902 homicides in the United States, 
an average of 7,317 per year. In the same time there have 
been 723 legal executions, and 1,118 lynchings. These startling 
figures show that crime is rapidly increasing, instead of dimin- 
ishing. In the year 1895, IO >5°° persons were killed, or at the 
rate of 875 per month; whereas in 1890 there were only 4,290, 
or less than half as many as in 1895. This bloody record 
shows a fearful increase of the crime that destroys human life. 
We can easily recognize, that the greatest evil of any 
civilized age is confronting us, not only in the shape of crimes 
committed by individuals, but also of crimes committed by 
masses of men who are endeavoring by bloody and improper 
means to seek a remedy — I mean those who band themselves 
together as mobs to seek that protection which they fail to 
obtain under the forms of law." — North American Review, 
June, i8g6. 

Judge Parker in the same article states his opinion as to the 
cause of this increase of murder and mob violence. He says : 
"The criminal law and its administration have rather fallen into 
disgrace. . . . It is largely because of the corrupt methods 
resorted to to defeat the law's administration, and because courts 
of justice look to the shadow, in the shape of technicalities, 
rather than to the substance, in the shape of crim'es. 
Now, the condition is so serious — and it is growing more so all 
the time — that there must be some remedy. . . . The 
cause of this condition springs in part from a morbid, diseased 
public sentiment, which begets undue sympathy for the criminal, 
and has none whatever for his murdered victim. It grows out 
of the indifference of the people to the enforcement of the crim- 



THE EARTH IS FILLED WITH VIOLENCE 1 53 

inal law. It arises from corrupt verdicts begotten by frauds 
and perjuries. It arises from the undue exercise of influence, 
either monetary, social, or otherwise, so that juries are carried 
away from the line of duty." 

The foregoing statements were made after a careful and 
exhaustive study of the subject. The judge has had unexcelled 
opportunities to scan the whole field, and learn the true state of 
affairs, and he has stated simple facts that men and women 
everywhere are affirming and deploring. In harmony with the 
foregoing from Judge Parker is the following statement of 
Judge Elliot Anthony, president of the Illinois State Bar Asso- 
ciation, in his address at its annual meeting, Jan. 24, 1895, at 
Springfield, 111. : — 

"There is dissatisfaction everywhere throughout the country 
in regard to the methods adopted and the course pursued by 
our courts in dealing w 7 ith the violators of the law, and it is but 
little wonder that the people in some of the oldest portions of 
the republic have at times become exasperated at the trifling 
and juggling which are allowed, and have wreaked summary 
vengeance on thugs and assassins, to the disgrace of civilization 
and the age in which we live." 

Following these statements, the words of the lord chancellor 
of England, as reported in the London Times of Nov. 10, 1898, 
are forcible and to the point. He says: "There is nothing 
which will so dissociate men, which will drive nations to mad- 
ness so quickly, as the belief that the justice of the country is 
not honestly and impartially administered." 

The statements of these leading jurists are not given to 
prove facts, but to state facts that every one knows are in 
existence all about- us at this very time. Not only is it known 
that these facts exist, but it is equally as well known that the 
wrong conditions pointed out are spreading and deepening with 
an alarming rapidity. 

Who can know these things without being deeply impressed 



154 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

with the truth that we are indeed living in days that answer 
fully to the Bible description of the time of Noah? Common 
observation is all that is required to enable us to know that they 
are true. A detail of facts and statistics is not necessary in 
order for us to see and understand the condition of things 
about us. 

The mobs that rise up like armies in various parts of the 
country almost every day show the violent tendencies of the 
times. There is a regular epidemic of lynchings. The spirit of 
anarchy has so taken hold of the minds of a small class that no 
reigning monarch or other ruler, be he ever so upright and 
kind in his administrations, is safe from the plots of skulking 
assassins who lurk at every turn to catch an opportunity to take 
the lives of the ones standing at the head of governmental 
authority. The vast number of kings and rulers who have 
fallen victims to this reign of lawlessness, during recent decades, 
in both this country and foreign lands, is among the silent 
witnesses to the growing violence of our times. And this 
turbulent rioting spirit is increasing very rapidly, and shows that 
the restraining bands of law and order are being consumed by 
the fires of unbridled hatreds and revengeful emotions. 

A condition of discontent pervades the world, and these 
clamoring elements are constantly breaking loose with ever- 
increasing "violence." There is no power that will continue 
to restrain them for any great length of time. There have been 
social problems in the past, but never have they appeared in 
such vast and alarming proportions as now. 

At the beginning of the year 1898, Bishop Newman said: 
"This is the most unsettled condition of the world since the 
crucifixion of Christ. . . . The stability of government is 
no longer a fact. Change is in the atmosphere. It is just as 
true now as a thousand years ago, ' Thou knowest not what a 
day will bring forth.' . . . Statesmen are at their wits' end. 
Philosophers speculate in vain." 



THE EARTH IS FILLED WITH VIOLENCE 1 55 

The forcible truth of Bishop Newman's statements may be 
more fully realized by briefly calling- to mind some of the events 
that followed within a few months from the time he wrote the 
foregoing. First it might be well to mention that there is 
scarcely a nation that was not in a quarrel with some other 
nation during the year 1898. The United States not only 
quarreled but fought with Spain. England had trouble with 
Russia, Germany, and France. France and Germany had 
difficulties to settle ; and so complicated are the questions 
involved in these difficulties among the great powers of Europe, 
that, if war breaks out, it seems highly probable that all the 
world will be drawn into the conflict. 

Then look at the domestic troubles that are perplexing these 
governments. The ink with which Bishop Newman wrote was 
hardly dry before there was rioting in Algiers. The great 
strike of the engineers in England had been going on for 
several months. Revolution was smoldering in France over the 
Dreyfus case; and it is evident that numerous causes are at 
work there that may at any time result in another Reign of 
Terror. Spain was on the verge of a revolution at home while 
she was at the same time warring with the United States; there 
w T as serious rioting in Austria-Hungary, and the conditions 
were such in the Austrian Empire that Austria's rulers dared 
not undertake to assist their kinsmen in Spain, for fear that, if 
their army were taken from home, there would be a general 
revolt of the people. Italy had her bread riots, and four hundred 
persons are reported to have been killed and a thousand injured 
in the conflict of a single day ; and the reader will recall the 
riots in China, the Moslem revolt in Central Asia, the uprisings 
in Africa, South America, etc., etc. 

In the countries where there have been no uprisings or 
riotings in recent months, there may be found the seeds of dis- 
content that are liable to produce disturbances any day. For 
instance, in Germany members have been elected to the Reich- 



I56 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

stag by twelve different political parties, with a marked increase 
in favor of the Socialists. Who can estimate the discontent in 
a country that has so many different political creeds, and each 
working to produce reforms that all assert are sorely needed ? 
Is it to be wondered at that Germany had five hundred seventy- 
eight strikes during the year 1897? 

Nor is it in Germany alone that there are numerous polit- 
ical parties struggling for the supremacy, and strongly voicing 
their disapproval of existing conditions. Every nation has 
them ; and where so many factions are working, and all at cross 
purposes with each other it must be evident to any one that this 
seed sowing will soon produce a harvest of anarchy and violence. 
Many think that these conditions betoken a great revolution 
that will purify the world; but a revolution of purification could 
never come out of such a sea of discord and strife. For not 
only is society broken up into these warring factions, but there 
is such a prevalence of immorality and criminality that the only 
result that could come from the breaking loose of such forces 
would be the absolute chaos of anarchy itself. The restraining 
hand of the Almighty is the only power that keeps these forces 
from breaking loose and flooding the world with a deluge of 
destruction. So we may well sing praises to the Most High 
that it is His divine plan to send His Son to earth to cut this 
prospective reign of terror short in its mad career, and thus keep 
it from reaching the possible limits of its direful harvest. 

In all the world may be found, as Mr. Chauncey M. Depew 
terms it, "the century-vexing problem of capital and labor." 
There is an irrepressible strife between these two camps. We 
may seek to minimize it by words ; but the evil growth is there, 
nevertheless, and sooner or later the world-wide struggle will 
begin. Money has been used to defeat justice; it has been 
used to control elections and legislatures. Fortunes have been 
accumulated that rival the stories about Midas and Croesus ; 
and over against these colossal treasures and their possessors 



THE EARTH IS FILLED WITH VIOLENCE 1 57 

may be seen the gathering legions of organized labor as well as 
the army of the poverty-stricken and destitute. 

In every strike it may be seen that "violence" is becoming 
more pronounced. The hatred that is being cultivated against 
trusts, corporations, and the individual possessors of great 
fortunes, is growing deeper and more vengeful. The reports 
tell of some strikers who clubbed and stoned an agent of a 
corporation until the man was supposed to be dead. The 
police finally succeeded in rescuing his body, and he was laid 
out upon the court-house lawn to await the action of the 
coroner. The man moved his head, and thus showed signs of 
life, whereupon a person from the mob jumped on his body 
and began to stamp and kick him. How strikingly does this 
represent the growing " violence," for this case merely illus- 
trates the general condition! 

Briefly reviewing the situation, we find that the love of 
money is corrupting the age. The judge is blinded by bribes. 
The legislator is elected by the corrupt use of money. Money 
is freely used to influence the making of laws. With these evil 
influences working so extensively in what are called the higher 
circles, composed of the wealthy and influential members of 
society, is it to be wondered at that town and city politicians 
should learn the lesson, and put it into active operation ? Need 
we be surprised that the city has its corrupt politicians, its 
dishonest and criminal policemen, and its magistrates who will 
not protect the oppressed, and who seek a bribe to influence 
every decision ? And when the magistrate or judge will free 
the robber and assassin for a gift of money, it is but a natural 
consequence that murders and robberies should become more 
numerous and daring. 

In short, society to-day is a school that is filling the world 
with criminals, and the fact should not be passed by that a 
flood of pernicious literature is a mighty factor in this debasing 
work. Especially does this literature pervert the minds of boys 



I58 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

and turn them into the downward road of criminality while they 
are yet children. It is no uncommon thing" to read of lads still 
in their teens who commit robberies, murders, and all the rest of 
the crimes. 

Now, in the very nature of things, all of these corrupting 
practises of this time are drowning the sense of justice. The 
world is driving headlong into that time when " every imagina- 
tion " will be "only evil continually;" and who can conceive the 
extent of the "violence" with which the earth will be filled 
when the harvest of sin is fully ripe? 

The Lord looked down the ages to these last days. He 
has shown in advance what the culminating works of sin will 
be. He has taken pains to unmask it, and in every way pos- 
sible to warn us against the evil, while He freely offers us the 
good. Many of the poor souls who are floundering in the 
lowest depths of the dark sins of this time do not know that 
the Saviour still loves them. They are not acquainted with the 
truth that He died net only to save them, but to make the 
depths of His love more manifest to them. 

In these last days truly "the earth is filled with violence." 
Though this violence has not yet broken out with all its 
malignant terrors, nevertheless the seeds of the evil are rapidly 
growing into a prolific harvest. But "the days of the Son of 
Man" are at hand. He will separate sin from the hearts of 
all who will yield to His moulding touch, and He will fashion 
them into jewels of His grace. Then in that near day of His 
coming it will be a joy to be made like Him ; for we shall see 
Him as He is. 




CHAPTER EIGHTEEN 

THE Saviour makes mention of the "days of Lot," as well 
as the days of Noah, to represent the depths of vice that 
would be reached in the last days. Let us read His 
words again: "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be 
also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, 
they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day 
that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and 
destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; 
they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, 
they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom 
it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them 
all. Even ; thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is 
revealed." Luke 17:26-30. 

The Word of God tells us that in the "days of Noah" 
"every imagination" of man's heart was "only evil continually;" 
and since these same depths of evil imaginings will prevail again 
at the close of time, it should not be a matter of surprise that 
the corrupting vice of Sodom as it was in "the days of Lot" 
will break out as a debasing plague. 

The grossest sin of Sodom was her abandoned licentious- 
ness. When we wish to describe the very lowest sink of licen- 
tious lust, we speak of it as a "veritable Sodom." The depravity 
of mankind was manifested in that wicked city in its most 

159 



l6o HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

shameful and vilest forms. It is sad to know that the human 
race, excepting those, of course, who resist the influences of 
Satan, will again be led by him into such gross sensuality; but 
such is the prediction of the Word of God, and it will be fulfilled. 

In 1895 ^ was estimated that there were between forty and 
fifty thousand prostitutes in the city of New York alone; and 
there is no evidence that New York is worse in proportion to 
its population than other cities. When there is such a vast 
multitude of women who support themselves by their life of 
shame, who can estimate the thousands of- men who are sacri- 
ficing their virtue and manhood at the shrine of lust? It is 
usual to count only the women; but for each woman who lives 
as a public prostitute, there are, in the very nature of things, 
several men who are the companions of her vice. 

The prevalence of licentiousness is only too apparent. The 
evidences of the existence of houses of shame are not disguised, 
but are open and apparent. It would seem that our boasted 
civilization should sweep such disgusting spectacles away, as too 
loathsome to be endured; but legislatures and city councils, at 
least to the extent of a majority, look upon the prostitute as a 
necessity. Age-of-consent statutes have been enacted that 
allow men to seduce the merest little girls to their ruin, with 
no fear of legal penalties to deter them. 

It is a mystery how grown-up men — ■ the fathers of little 
girls — can stand up in the legislative assemblies, and seriously 
propose and enact such laws. How can it be possible that men 
are so lost to the sense of shame, even if their sense of justice 
is gone, that they will support the idea that a child in her 
"teens" may "consent" to abandon her virtue, without being 
first deceived by a base libertine? Why, a child of such tender 
years can not comprehend what she is doing. She does not 
as yet have the mental development that will enable her to look 
down the awful road into which the cruel, lustful seducer is 
turning her childish and innocent feet. "We are in the full 



THE SOCIAL VICE 1 6 1 

blaze of the great enlightenment and humanitarian civilization of 
the twentieth century!" Yes, that is the boast of this age. But, 
nevertheless, can any one imagine that Sodom could have done 
much worse than first to make such great pretensions, and then 
deliberately make laws that would shield the villain of lust in 
ruining little girls? No child can give her consent to such vice, 
and realize its enormity; and such age-of-consent laws are 
nothing more than a legal protection to vice, while, with Satanic 
cunning, it hurls the innocents into shameless ruin. 

There is a regular traffic in young girls; and that is one 
reason why these age-of-consent laws can still hold their place 
on our statute-books. Men of wealth who frequent the house 
of shame will pay a big premium to get young and innocent 
girls for their vile purposes. So the brothel sends its agents out 
to find little girls who are just entering their teens. Sometimes 
these innocents can be lured away by childish gifts; sometimes, 
if they are a little older, the villains make love to them, and 
propose to marry them; and finally the unsuspecting child is 
enticed into her life of misery and ruin. 

Only demons could inspire such work, and only men who 
are under the beguiling influence of demons would yield them- 
selves as agents to do it. 

But, you ask, how can such evils be carried on in a civilized 
land? Why is not the law invoked, and the evil stopped? 
Here, again, is where the corruption of the officers of the law 
serves these vile persons in carrying on their traffic of shame. 
The laws in most localities are against houses of ill-fame; but 
the policeman is bribed, or perhaps it would be nearer the truth 
to say that the policeman takes it upon himself to license vice 
and sensuality. Upon this subject the Lexow Committee 
reported: — 

"The system had reached such a perfection in detail that 
the inmates of the several houses were numbered and classified, 
and a ratable charge placed upon each proprietor in proportion 



1 62 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

to the number of inmates, or in cases of houses of assignation 
the number of rooms occupied and the prices charged, reduced 
to a monthly rate, which was collected within a few days of the 
first of each month during the year." 

In the "Proceedings of the Lexow Committee," vol. i, pp. 
33-36, may be found a full account of how this collusion 
between the police officers and the brothels is carried on. And 
from this report it is seen that the police of New York — and New 
York is not worse than many another large city, as has already 
been shown — are more than partners of the mistresses of the 
brothels. These officers assume control, and levy a regular 
monthly tax of from $25 to $50 from each disorderly house; 
and in another part of the committee's report they state that 
each woman who goes on the street to solicit has to pay the 
policeman from fifty cents to a dollar a week, in addition to this 
monthly tax. Then, when the mistress opens her house of 
shame, she has to pay the police captain $500 as an initiation 
fee, and this fee of $500 has to be paid over again every time a 
new captain comes in by exchange from another precinct. 
Worse than all, if the fallen woman seeks to abandon her life 
of shame, the officer refuses to allow it, holding her in her 
chains of vice through fear of official persecution. 

Does not a knowledge of these horrible facts cause the heart 
to burn with indignation? Does it not make one feel ashamed 
that he belongs to a race that has sunk so low? 

With the police force financially interested in the perpetuation 
and increase of prostitution, it is easy to see why it is so hard 
to protect young girls from being dragged into the corrupting 
evils of the brothel. Agents are sent out everywhere to be on 
the lookout for victims to lure into the dens of vice; and often- 
times the very blue coat that is appealed to for protection will 
only help to make the ruin of the victim all the more secure. 
Thousands of the young women who are held in houses of. 
ill-fame have been decoyed there, and are kept against their 



THE SOCIAL VICE 1 63 

will, a thing that could not be done if officers were faithful to 
their high duties and responsibilities. 

Did it ever occur to the reader that the greed for money, 
on the one hand, and the great destitution, on the other, are 
powerful factors in producing this wide-spread licentiousness? 
In our cities the so-called "merchant prince" in many instances 
pays his girl clerks starvation wages, and then deliberately 
teaches them to "make up the lack" by giving themselves as 
concubines to the respectable (?) libertine. This statement 
seems too shockingly disgusting to be true; but it is, never- 
theless, a fact. I will subjoin some statements that will bring 
this matter more forcibly before the reader than anything I 
can write. 

Rev. Louis A. Banks, in his book "White Slaves," has a 
chapter on "The Relation of Wages to Morals," in which 
he says: — 

"I received a letter from a gentleman in Conway, N. H., 
this week, who writes, not knowing that I was intending to 
discuss this question : 'After you have given the sweating 
system one round, can you not take up the question of the 
girls working in the big stores? I have just heard a well- 
authenticated account of a man high in authority in one of the 
largest stores, suggesting the way to ruin to a young girl from 
the country, who said, when she learned what her wages were 
to be, that they would not be sufficient to give her a bare 
support. This not only shows the attitude of these wealthy 
merchants to the souls of their working-girls, but it shows that 
they are conscious of their attitude, and have deliberately chosen 
to take it.' I am told, upon undoubtedly credible testimony, 
that another young woman who came to Boston from the 
country, and sought work in several stores, was so outraged 
at the vile suggestions which were made to her about means 
of adding to her salary, that she went back to the house of her 
friend — a lady of as high standing as any in the city — and 



164 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

cried and sobbed all night long. She said she would beg or 
starve before she would submit herself to such outrage again. 

"It is impossible to turn these incidents aside as exaggera- 
tions. They are horrible, I know; but the most horrible thing 
about them is that they are true." — Pp. ijo, iji. 

Some time since the New York World contained a most 
touching and pathetic appeal from a young man, who, on 
account of continued illness, had lost his position, and was 
unable to protect the young lady he had chosen to make his 
life companion. The appeal reads as follows: — 

"In the interest of humanity I beg you will find space for 
this appeal — an appeal for protection for a young girl struggling 
against heavy odds in the battle of life — an appeal for some one 
to show her that vice is not always triumphant over virtue; for 
some one to prove that it is not always necessary for a penniless 
girl to sacrifice purity and honor to gain a livelihood in this 
modern Babylon. 

"I seek only the protection of some Christian family or 
home for one who will not be a burden, for one whose own life 
has become burdensome to herself from the continual persecu- 
tions she has had to resist, even in private houses and other 
places where her lot has been cast while striving to earn a 
living, and who even now is in daily peril of contamination 
under circumstances where the word of a defenseless girl would 
be powerless against the machinations of conscienceless fiends. 
What mother will stretch out her hand to save this unprotected 
daughter, not for charity's but for mercy's sake?" 

The editor of the World said concerning the foregoing 
appeal: — 

"It is a cry of distress from one of the humble orders of life, 
and is the more moving and instructive because such cries are 
usually suppressed by the conditions which cause them. There 
are doubtless thousands of similar cases of young girls driven by 
the stress of poverty to hold perilous positions, and to continually 



THE SOCIAL VICE 1 65 

expose themselves to repeated temptations of their remorseless 
employers. It is small wonder that under the prolonged strain, 
subjected to all forms of enticement and even intimidation, 
human nature often wearies of the protracted efforts of 
resistance, and the victim falls at last a prey to the crafts and 
assaults of a treacherous sensuality." 

That the pollutions of lust are not confined to this country 
may be seen from the following statement from Lady Henry 
Somerset in regard to the condition of London. Speaking of 
the drink habit, so universal in London among women and girls 
as well as men and boys, she says: — 

"It is impossible to overrate the influence, the soul-destroying 
influence, this has had upon the homes of the poor; for it is by 
this, I am convinced, that the idea of right and wrong has come 
to be hopelessly confused when it is not absolutely lost. It is 
not uncommon to find a mother who since marriage has been a 
faithful wife, and perhaps before that a virtuous girl, looking on 
with indifference while her daughter 'goes on the streets,' and is 
lost in the unnumbered legion of victims hourly sacrificed to the 
demon of vice. She may regret the fact, as a mother in a 
wealthier station might regret her daughter marrying beneath 
her; but there is no shock, no natural horror, at the wanton 
marring of God's fairest handiwork, a woman's soul. In our 
long worship of mammon, the shame of poverty and the shame 
of sin have got confused. To the poor in their misery the 
burden of disgrace is but a slight addition to the load they 
already carry." — -January, i8g2. 

The foregoing quotations state the facts as every well- 
informed person knows them to exist, and they could not be 
stated in more chaste, and at the same time clear and forcible 
language. It is not necessary to produce further testimony to 
show the conditions of sensuality that exist. Indeed, it would 
hardly seem necessary to produce any testimony other than to 
cite the scriptures that tell of the conditions that God said would 



1 66 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

obtain in this time, and then ask the individual to look around 
at the state of things as every one knows it to be. Even the 
fences by the roadside, the walls of public buildings, and the 
columns of nearly every paper in the land, face us constantly 
with ingenious advertisements of nostrums offered as a pan- 
acea for the numerous diseases produced by sensuality. Such 
extensive advertising costs large sums of money, and it would 
not be continued if it did not pay; and the thing that makes it 
pay is the prevalence of the debasing and disease-producing sins 
of Sodom. If no other evidence was given, there is enough in 
this one item of the extensive advertisements of remedies for 
these vile diseases, to show how full of vice the world must be. 

Can there be any doubt that we are living in the days on 
which the Saviour fixed His prophetic eyes when He said, 
"As it was in the days of Noah; . . . likewise also as it 
w T as in the days of Lot ; even thus shall it be in 

the day when the Son of Man is revealed" (Luke 17:26-30)? 

And how forcibly do the words of the prophet Hosea 
come to mind : — 

"Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel; for the 
Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, 
because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God 
in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, 
and committing adultery, they break out, and blood tcucheth 
blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that 
dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and 
with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall 
be taken away." Hosea 4 : 1-3. 

"Swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and com- 
mitting adultery' have broken out, and truly "blood toucheth 
blood." Sodom, with its vile pollutions, is being reproduced all 
about us. And who can estimate how soon it must be decreed 
that the pure eyes of God can endure the scene no longer? The 
Lord made an example of Sodom anciently ; there can be no 




o ca 



v ^ 



X 



THE SOCIAL VICE 1 69 

mistaking His purpose in dealing- decidedly with this modern 
Sodom that has spread its corrupting vices over the entire 
world. At that time His dealing was with a single city in 
one locality, but in this time His dealing is to be with all the 
inhabitants of the earth at the second coming of His Son. 
How cheering the thought that Jesus is soon to come and 
bring this reign of sin to an end! 

But those who are found corrupting themselves at His 
coming, will be destroyed by the brightness of His holiness 
and purity, that will be so gloriously revealed in that day; and 
so He has faithfully pointed out all these things, in order that 
we mav know and avoid the dangers of these times, and be 
ready to meet Him. Now He is yearning over every sinner, 
no matter how vile and polluted, and is earnestly calling each 
one to repentance, that He may purify his heart, and clothe 
him with the white garments of righteousness. 

The sinner who has plunged to the very lowest depth still 
finds in Jesus his Friend. " For we have not an High Priest 
which can not be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; 
but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we 
may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." 
Heb. 4: 15, 16. 

Think of it, O soul burdened with a load of sin! Jesus so 

loves you that He took upon Himself our flesh, — this flesh 

that is so full of the tendency and desire to sin, — and all this 

that He might " be touched with the feeling of our infirmities." 

So, then, tempted and sinful one, whoever and wherever you 

are, the Lord of glory is "touched" with your feelings; and 

when every earthly friend has forsaken you, know that He is 

ever your Friend. He knows all about your difficulties and 

trials; and since He knows your case so perfectly, if you will 

only trust Him, He will administer just the consolation and 

help that are needed. 
11 



I70 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

The scribes and Pharisees of old, with their manufactured 
dignity and sham holiness, " brought unto Him a woman taken 
in adultery," and asked Him what should be done with her. 
She stood trembling before Him, and no doubt expected to 
hear Him condemn her to death; but the Pharisees, with the 
pure and discerning eye of the Master piercing the inmost 
secrets of their hearts, were told, " He that is without sin 
among you, let him first cast a stone at her." Conscience- 
smitten by the irresistible sense of their guilt, they began one 
by one to steal away from His presence. When she whom 
they thought too vile to live was left alone with her Lord, He 
asked her, "Hath no man condemned thee? She said, No 
man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn 
thee; go, and sin no more." See John 8:3-11. 

When Jesus said to that fallen woman, "Go, and sin no 
more," there was power in that word both to cleanse her from 
all past sin, and also to keep her from falling again so long 
as she continued to trust the Lord. Jesus hated sin worse 
than it was possible for those Pharisees to hate it; but He 
knew how to separate the sin from the sinner, and to speak 
peace to the burdened soul by saying, "Go, and sin no more." 

He is coming very soon to destroy all evil, and at that 
time, if wickedness is still found in our hearts, the only thing 
for us will be destruction, with our sins. But, O, He is now 
inviting us to come to Him, confessing our sinfulness, that He 
may cleanse us, and make us so pure that we may greet Him 
with rejoicing when He comes! 

"To-day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." 







t Hi it 



(g^ 



CHAPTER NINETEEN 






THE question is asked, "When the Son of man cometh, 
shall He find faith on the earth?" Luke 18:8. The 
very form of the expression shows that the Saviour's 
question is an emphatic statement of the great lack of genuine 
faith among those living at the close of time. This fact is 
further confirmed by His answer to the question, "What shall 
be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?" 
The Master says, " Because iniquity shall abound, the love of 
many shall wax cold." Matt. 24:3, 12. Then a great lack of 
faith, the abounding of iniquity, and the love of many waxing 
cold, are sufficiently prominent in the last days to be mentioned 
as among the signs of the Saviour's coming. 

Another scripture is to the point in this connection. It 
reads: "This know also, that in the last days perilous times 
shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, 
covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, 
unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, 
false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are 
good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more 
than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying 
the power thereof; from such turn away." 2 Tim. 3:1-5. 

This scripture tells us plainly that "perilous times shall 

171 



172 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

come," and just as plainly does it say that these perils shall be 
"in the last days." No matter what our views may have been 
to the contrary, we should now surrender to the statement of 
God's Word. What God says of the case is correct; what He 
has pointed to as signs of the end will surely appear, and we 
may see them if we will., 

There is another point in this text quoted from Timothy 
that we must not pass by. The apostle not only tells us that 
"in the last days perilous times shall come," but adds, u For 
men shall be lovers of their own selves," etc. The word "for" 
in this connection is equivalent to "because." Then the perils 
of the last days are brought about "for," or "because," men are 
so filled with covetousness, pride, and all the rest of the long list 
of the sins mentioned in this text Note particularly that the 
text says that those engaged in these sins of darkest hue, are at 
the same time "having a form of godliness, but denying the 
power thereof." The world does not have a "form of godli- 
ness." Only a backslidden church could be in such a condition 
— a church filled with "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of 
God." When the things mentioned in this text appear, we may 
know that the "last days" are reached. For these days will be 
made "perilous" by the prevalence of evil. "Iniquity shall 
abound," and over all the mass of sin those who, by a lack of 
faith in God's Word, are denying His power, will throw the 
hypocritical robes of a "form of godliness." 

With these quotations from Matthew, Luke, and Paul agrees 
the statement of Peter: "Knowing this first, that there shall 
come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 
and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the 
fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the 
beginning of the creation." 2 Peter 3:3, 4. 

As the doctrine of the second coming of Christ is preached, 
there will be "scoffers." And, to be sure, since they are "walk- 
ing after their own lusts," they will say in derision, "Where is 



MAINTAINING FORM BUT DENYING POWER I J 3 

the promise of His coming?" But the believer in the sure 
Word of God will not be affected by these scoffers, except to 
see in them the evidence of the Master's coming, and, in pity 
for them, to work and pray that their hearts may be touched by 
divine grace, and turned away from their scoffings to a Saviour's 
tender love. 

How faithfully do these scriptures disclose the perils of the 
"last days"! How pointedly they tell us that sin shall be 
glossed over by the "form of godliness;" that faith will be 
almost wanting; that the "love of many shall wax cold" — and 
all because "iniquity shall abound;" and that amidst it all will 
be found the "scoffers," making light of the "promise of 
His coming" ! 

With these scriptures before us, telling us so plainly that in 
the "last days" "godliness" will become a mere form among 
the great multitude, we have only to look about us to see the 
literal fulfilment. 

The thing that we naturally expect when we go to the house 
of God is to hear the preaching of the Gospel "in the demon- 
stration of the Spirit and of power." The theme that should be 
dwelt upon is the " Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin 
of the world." But in how many of our churches is the preach- 
ing of the simple Gospel sadly lacking! I have met hundreds 
of people, representing all our various denominations, who 
recognize and deplore this fact. 

But why this lack of power in the church? W f hy do we see 
only the "form" w 7 hen we should expect. to find the life and 
power belonging to the Master's church ? There is one little 
statement in a text already quoted that furnishes the answer. 
Observe that it is said of those who have this "form of godli- 
ness, but deny the power thereof," that they are "lovers of 
pleasures more than lovers of God." The pleasures that God 
offers are soul-satisfying, real, substantial and abiding. They 
are filled with indescribable joys, and leave behind them only 



174 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

pleasant memories; and mingled with these pleasures is that joy 
of the Lord which comes from helping those who are in need. 
It is to deny self, and do right. There is an infinite joy and an 
eternal satisfaction in following the Lord's way. But by those 
living in the last days the transient pleasures of the world are 
chosen instead ; and to such an extent is their pleasure-seeking 
carried, even while maintaining a "form of godliness, " that it- 
marks one of the distinctive signs of our times. Seeking for 
pleasure for the mere sake of selfish enjoyment has ever been 
the pursuit of the world ; but now the craze takes possession of 
the church, and plunges it also into the ephemeral and delusive 
pleasures of time and sense. 

Who is there to-day that has not been impressed with the 
efforts made by so many of the churches and in so many places 
to supply amusement? This is done, of course, ostensibly to 
"raise money for the cause," or "to attract the young people 
in the church." Rev. Mr. Hale, who has made extensive 
observations in regard to church entertainments, gives in the 
Forum an outline of what came under his notice during a single 
year. He mentions a church in Massachusetts which produced 
in regular theatrical fashion "Violet in Fairyland" and "A 
Comedy of Errors up to Date." A number of churches in the 
same state joined in giving a "laughable performance" entitled 
"Aunt Jemima's Album." The young people in a church in 
Iowa gave a "New Woman Social." "The Mystic Midgets" 
is produced by a church in another quarter. And so his list 
continues. These are but a few of the semi-theatrical perform- 
ances that are being given all the time in our churches all over 
the land. A few paragraphs selected in full from Mr. Hale's 
trenchant pen will not be out of place here. He says: — 

"I have, however, no hesitation in commending — as a 
successful exhibition of impudent and attractive indecency — the 
New Woman Social given, according to the New York papers, 
by the male members of the ■ Society of . Some of 



MAINTAINING FORM BUT DENYING POWER 1 75 

the more engaging toilets worn . . . are described in the 
despatch: 'W. F. Stimpson, in lilac bloomers with lace trim- 
mings, was irresistible, as was E. H. Taylor in a Mother 
Hubbard, and with a weeping-willow plume. E. C. Seeley wore 
shiny black bloomers set off with a gorgeous sash. J. Curtis 
Martin wore red bloomers and an angelic smile. Olin Hender- 
son, in check bloomerettes, Ward Thompson, in a shirt-waist, 
and W. H. Dean, with balloon sleeves, were also conspicuous.' 

"This is, possibly, funny. But for monumental godlessness 
made endurable by no saving grace of humor, for simian imbe- 
cility, for supreme and inimitable folly unmarred by the slightest 
suggestion either of common decency or ordinary self-respect, 
for groveling baseness and depraved vulgarity, — the Trilby 
Party, otherwise the Foot Social, otherwise the Ankle Auction, 
stands at the head of the church entertainments for the year. 

. . In the Trilby Social . . . the young ladies of the 
church display their feet — let us say and be polite — from 
behind a curtain. . . . Men in front of the curtain view 
what is displayed of one female after another, and then bid for 
the privilege of taking her to supper. 

"The pastor of the ■ church of •, Michigan, having 

entertained firemen, veterans and blacksmiths, outdid himself 
in a 'Barbers' Sunday evening.' Scissors, hair dye, cups, soaps, 
brushes and combs, mirrors and washes, tastefully arranged on 
the walls and platform, with festoons of towels and rosettes of 
brilliantine and bay-rum bottles, gave a homelike appearance 
to the church. Sitting in a barber's chair, the pastor gathered 
inspiration for his lecture, and then, rising, he pressed home, in 
the choicest terms of the tonsorial profession, the lesson of the 
'razor and the strop.'" 

These brief quotations give a picture of what everybody 
knows to be a condition of the church to-day. In almost every 
community the churches are vying with each other in producing 
some form of silly amusement. If we were to go to a show or 



I76 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

theater, we should naturally expect to see such performances. 
But have we actually reached the time when the professed 
church of Christ is showing herself to be imbecile by the worse 
than silly shows and counterfeit theatricals that she is giving, to 
the infinite satisfaction of Satan, while claiming that it is all done 
in the sacred name of Christ? Who can read of or behold such 
things without a sense of the deepest sorrow and shame? 

If we did not know it to be so, we could hardly give cre- 
dence to the thought that young ladies supposed to have the 
moral worth that enables them to connect with our churches, 
would deliberately make bare their feet, and, sitting behind a 
curtain, allow a promiscuous drove of men to pass along viewing 
the scene, and bid for the one he would like to take to supper. 
How can any one with ordinary respectability, leaving out 
of the question the refinement of a pure Christian life, think 
of engaging in such silly, debasing amusements, and pre- 
senting the proceeds as an offering to Him who is of "purer 
eyes than to behold evil," and who can not "look on iniquity"? 
Can it be that our churches are no longer a haven of safety for 
our boys and girls, and that when their inexperienced feet are 
led to the sanctuary dedicated to the Most High, it is only to 
teach them to be immodest, to say the least, instead of filling 
their minds and hearts with the purest desires and noblest 
aspirations? When so many churches thus join hands with the 
world in seeking amusement, and some of them carry their silly 
plays even to the very border-land of Sodom, what is there left 
to hope for? — There is just one bright dawning above the 
horizon of evil, and that is the sure promise of the coming 
Saviour. And while we have a few lingering days of proba- 
tionary time, let us seek to win to the Master as many as we 
can, so that He can save them from the certain destruction into 
which this world is so rapidly plunging. 

God's power is just as great now as it was on the day of 
Pentecost, when the people were drawn to hear the preaching of 



MAINTAINING FORM BUT DENYING POWER IJJ 

the simple Gospel, not by shows and sensational parade, not 
by the thought of fun and very questionable amusements, but 
by the Spirit of the living- Saviour. That power is waiting still 
for all who will receive it. How can we more effectually deny 
the power of God than by resorting to amusements to draw 
people to the church ? How sad that the church should be so 
blinded as to be willing to change the experiences and realities 
of Pentecost for the modern church fair and theatrical display ! 

There are many who realize the situation, to some extent at 
least, and are crying out against this terrible condition into 
which the church of Christ has fallen. Pages of testimony 
might be given from these, but only a few paragraphs are 
necessary. The reader has doubtless reflected much on what 
he knows of this evil existing all about him, for the deplorable 
condition of the church is not confined to a few localities, but is 
altogether too universal. 

Rev. Walter A. Evans says: "Evangelical Christianity, 
born anew in the German Reformation, baptized under the 
hands of the Puritans and the Wesleys, has already so far 
apostatized that another reformation is needed to fit the church 
for the work of the greater century soon to dawn. The cold 
formalism of a utilitarian religiousness, ornate with pomp and 
ceremony, makes of the church of the present day, to a very 
large degree, a valley of dry bones greater than that which 
Ezekiel saw, and as sorely in need of a divine afflatus to give it 
life. Social discontent, born of pinching poverty on the one 
hand and riotous riches on the other, gambling, intemperance, 
commercial dishonor, political corruption, and the whole pestif- 
erous brood of evils which prey upon the nation and threaten 
its peace if not its perpetuity as a free republic — they all find 
their coveted opportunity, when they do not find their abetment, 
in the worldly ideals, the grasping covetousness, the denomina- 
tional pride, the sectarian selfishness, the moral cowardice, and 
the spiritual apathy of the church. . . . 



I78 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

"Why is it that there are so many lodges to every church, 
and that so large a part of the humanitarian and reformatory 
forces that make for human weal in the present life, are center- 
ing outside the church ? Why is it that, as every minister of the 
Gospel knows is the case, so large and increasing a body of 
noble, honorable and high-minded men of every community, 
men who fear God and revere Jesus Christ, are standing 
studiously aloof from the church ? . 

"But some one will exclaim: 'Our organizations! Look at 
our new organizations, millions strong!' To which one might 
fittingly reply in the words of . . . Mr. B. Fay Mills, 
'They are very deceiving.' Or one might, by way of amplifi- 
cation, say that multiplication of organizations within the church, 
wisely constructed to fit the social instincts of youthful human 
nature, colossal conventions worked up systematically after the 
most approved methods of a political canvass for twelve months 
previous — they may cause a great buzzing of wheels and rattle 
of machinery that looks very like spiritual vigor. But all this 
machinery, while it can use power, can not generate it. It can 
neither repair a defective boiler nor replenish a furnace, the real 
trouble with which is that the fire is going out. The adding of 
another wheel to the machinery does not increase the power. 
Nay, is not this unprecedented multiplication of organizations 
itself a striking sign of weakness and spiritual degeneration? 
May it not be, after all, an attempt to brace a man on his feet 
by artificial means, when the fact is he is suffering from heart- 
failure? What is the matter with the old bottle that it won't 
hold wine? The church of the apostles, the Puritans, and the 
early Methodists turned the world upside down — not by organ- 
ization, for they had practically none ; but by the irresistible 
power of deep moral conviction, unquestioning faith, and a 
spiritual unction that was the outcropping of a new and divine 
life. But to-day, instead of one chasing a thousand and two 
putting ten thousand to flight, it takes a thousand church- 



MAINTAINING FORM BUT DENYING POWER 1 79 

members to chase one evil, and then they don't catch it — ■ 
unless 'there is something- in it.' 

' 'The church is made the decoy of the hunters of fortunes; 
it is utilized as a screen of scoundrels. . . . Yea, it has 
become a great tree, and respectable sinners — respectability is 
a sine qua non — legal robbers, and pious frauds lodge under 
the shadow of it. One can not single out any one 

denomination as being especially guilty of exalting pelf above 
piety. The same conditions widely prevail, and one is prob- 
ably as bad as another." — Walter Allen Evans, in the Arena. 

How pleasing it would be if we could truly say that the 
statements of Mr. Evans are overdrawn! But every one who 
thinks, knows that what he says in the foregoing paragraphs is 
only too literally true. Do we not see that the church is rapidly 
being filled with all the iniquities mentioned by the apostle, and 
that it is in reality rapidly reaching the place where it holds 
only "a form of godliness," while "denying the power thereof"? 
God has told us what would take place in the last days, and we 
see it now right before our eyes. 

What an opportunity the church is losing! Social discon- 
tent, arising from various causes, is looming up on every hand ; 
and instead of the church standing forth amid the gathering 
storm as a beacon-light and guide in the way of righteousness, 
we see her shorn of her strength, lying prostrate in the toils 
of sin. 

How appalling the thought ! The world is acknowledged 
by thousands of the most thoughtful men and women of our 
time to be speeding on to an awful revolution, bidding fair to 
outdo the French Reign of Terror; and in the face of this crisis, 
the church, instead of being awake and active in rescuing the 
perishing and warning the ignorant, is filled with those who are 
" lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God," having only 
"a form of godliness," while by indulgence in sin they are 
"denying the power thereof." With these facts before us, how 



l8o HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

forcible the prophetic interrogation, " Nevertheless when the 
Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" And is 
it any wonder that our Lord, when viewing this time, said, 
" Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax 
cold"? 

Any one who is candid with himself must admit, in the 
moments of his soberest reflection, that the world is indeed in 
a terrible condition, and that the church, taken as a whole, 
instead of being awake to the situation, is wasting its time in 
childish amusement and selfish folly. When the faces of the 
bravest men are growing pale before the conditions in which 
our world is floundering, instead of being- able to tell them that 
we have reached the death throes of this reign of sin, and 
raising the warning note, " Escape for thy life," the pleasure- 
loving professor is dreamily sounding the sleepy notes of ''peace 
and safety." And how natural that it should be so with one 
who has only a "form of godliness"! The voice of God, 
speaking to the very soul, is endeavoring to awaken the con- 
science to a correct appreciation of the situation. But, being 
"lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God," they cling to the 
"form of godliness," and quiet the disturbed conscience by 
saying, " Peace, peace, when there is no peace." But do not 
forget that the Lord, when speaking of this time, has said, 
"When they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruc- 
tion cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child ; 
and they shall not escape." i Thess. 5:3. 

It is a cheering thought, however, that, notwithstanding all 
the efforts of Satan to drown the whole church in pleasure and 
sin in these last days, the Lord still has some in every com- 
munion who have not given their hearts to the service of Baal; 
and by these the voice of warning must be given. Fearful 
odds, should we take our view from the human standpoint, will 
have to be met ; but, with the voice of a conqueror, our great 
Leader says, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in 



MAINTAINING FORM BUT DENYING POWER l8l 

earth;" and, trusting in His omnipotent strength in this time 
of greatest peril, "we must gather warmth from the coldness of 
others, courage from their cowardice, and loyalty from their 
treason." 

There are souls everywhere who are crying out for the living 
God, and they are perplexed by the distressing condition of 
things that they see around them. Reader, will you not act as 
a light-bearer for God, and assist in pointing all such to that 
sure Word that so unmistakably shows all these things to be the 
tokens by which we may know that "He is near, even at the 
doors"? Let all the world know of His love, and that He is 
now earnestly inviting every one to accept the wedding garment, 
His own perfect righteousness, and thus be made ready to enter 
into the eternal bliss of the redeemed. 

But to do this great work of showing mankind where we are 
standing, and of telling them the meaning of the portents of this 
time, it is necessary to be more than mere professors of Chris- 
tianity. We must be such devoted students of the Word of 
God that we will know its prophecies and precepts for ourselves, 
and be able to point with the assurance of definite knowledge to 
the light that is shining for us from the sacred Book. Any 
ordinary, dreamy experience that is half of the world and the 
other half made up of only a profession of the Christianity of the 
Christ, can never do in such a time as this. There is a work to 
be done in rescuing the church itself from the stupor into which 
it has fallen that requires the heroism of faith and Bible power. 
It will not do to leave it to the minister alone to become the 
Bible student and the Bible scholar. Every individual must 
now throw his sectarian differences to the winds, and give him- 
self to the study of the Bible so that he may be sure to stand on 
the solid rock of divine principle that is born only of a knowl- 
edge of divine truth; and then, with the heart made pure and 
courageous by this heaven-appointed process, we should go forth 
to do valiant work in arousing as many as can be reached. It 



1 82 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

is no time for theological speculation in regard to these things. 
The great facts of this time are staring us in the face, and we 
should acknowledge the literal truth of what we actually see, 
and let our labors be according to the pressing needs of the 
hour. If we see whole platoons of church-members giving 
themselves to the follies of the world — yes; if, even worse than 
that, we behold in them the entire train of vices and crimes 
that characterize this time, we should not surrender to the spirit 
of critical faultfinding that can do them no good. This fault- 
finding criticism of the members of the church can not help 
them, and only breeds infidelity in ourselves as well as in them 
that hear us. But if we knew from the Word of God what it 
all means; if we can point to this apostasy in the face of the 
great light of this age as one of the sure fulfilments of prophecy, 
the dignity and power of heaven's great truth is allowed to shine 
out, and the soul may be reached. 

God wants men in this time who can see beyond the evils 
that have taken possession of the church as well as the world. 
He wants men who can set on high the blazing light of 
prophecy to show the meaning of this darkness. He w r ants 
men who are too intent in the work of reviving the sickly 
church to find any place for the sneering criticism. The whole 
world is trembling before its doom, and the church which God 
has appointed as his agency to rescue the perishing must be 
w r arned of the dangerous and traitorous position which it is 
taking to such an alarming extent. 




" LdVER/" of PLEAifURE" 




CHAPTER TWENTY 



IN the preceding chapter some attention has been given to 
the scripture which shows that a love of pleasure under a 
"form of godliness" is one of the producing causes of peril 
in the last days. But the subject deserves more particular 
consideration; for it is the corrupting influences in the world 
beneath that are used to bring the church down from her 
proper sphere of holiness. When in any particular age the 
church becomes corrupt, it is because of her failure to resist 
the prevailing sins and vices of that time. 

So, then, since the love of pleasure among those who have 
a "form of godliness" will do its part in making times perilous 
in this age, what a great prevailing passion for the follies of 
mere fun will be manifested in the world at large! It is true 
that humanity has ever been given to the pursuit of pleasure. 
It is natural and God-given for men to wish to enjoy them- 
selves. It has always been the case that a great many will 
look no higher than the follies of transient and debasing amuse- 
ments; but in a special sense will the world be given to pleasure 
at the close of time. Marvelous indeed are the great inven- 
tions and the general material progress of this age; and the 

183 



184 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

extent to which the people of to-day are given to fun and 
pleasure is no less conspicuous. 

Speaking of the days that immediately precede His coming, 
the Master says: "Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time 
your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, 
and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 
For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the 
face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, 
that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that 
shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." 
Luke 2 1 : 34-36. 

Words of warning are directed against " surfeiting" (which 
is another word for overeating) and "drunkenness." The same 
evil is spoken against in Matthew, as follows: — 

"But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My 
lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow- 
servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of 
that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, 
and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him 
asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites; there 
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matt. 24:48-51. 

Feasting and strong drink are two of the most constant 
companions of worldly pleasure, and the Lord has taken pains 
to warn us against these evils. The Father in heaven, who 
"so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, 
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have 
everlasting life," seeks to lead men to genuine pleasure and 
real enjoyment; but among the special snares of the evil one, 
prepared for the last days, is the intoxication of illusory pleas- 
ures and sensual gratifications, so that men may not discern 
those things that are for their eternal interest. 

Intemperance is one of the greatest evils of our day. The 
city of Chicago alone consumed $80,000,000 worth of beer in 
twelve months during the last part of 1897 and the first part 



LOVERS OF PLEASURE 1 85 

of 1898; it would be a modest estimate to say that another 
$20,000,000 was spent for other kinds of spirituous liquors, 
making a yearly average of nearly $75 for each man, woman, 
and child in that great city. And Chicago is fairly represent- 
ative of the rest of the cities of the world. 

As soon as it became evident that the United States would 
have possessions in the Philippines and station an army there, 
a Milwaukee brewing company despatched three train-loads, 
aggregating sixty-seven cars, of beer to Manila. This is illus- 
trative of the activity and watchfulness of the traffickers in 
liquor. They are always on the alert for an opening to push 
their business, and do not scruple to put plans in operation to 
create in the rising generation an appetite for drink. 

This has been the generation of temperance agitation. A 
great work has indeed been accomplished. The change in 
sentiment toward the drink question is truly miraculous. Had 
it not been for this, it is hard to tell how much more terrible 
the condition of the world would be at the present time. Yet 
in the face of this great wave of temperance reform, the liquor 
traffic has organized its forces so that it is stronger than it 
ever was; and it is gaining ground every day. Every one 
knows the control that the saloon has of politics. Elections 
are influenced, and legislatures and city councils are under the 
domination of the dealers in strong drink. 

Some of our temperance reformers have made most startling 
exposures respecting the complete control the liquor traffic has 
gained in many of the oldest and most influential colleges in 
the land. In this way the liquor dealers are educating the 
young men and women, who are in turn to be educators in 
the most influential positions in society, to look upon the use 
of strong drink as most proper and genteel. What far-sighted 
cunning is here displayed! 

The exposures made by the press generally of the "canteen " 
business connected with the army, present another illustration 
12 



1 86 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

of both the activity and the power of the saloon men. They 
persuaded the army officers that if they would open "canteens" 
(the army word, by the way, for saloon) in the camp of each 
regiment, the drink business would be under their official con- 
trol, and they could "regulate" it. -"For," said they, "the 
soldier is bound to have an occasional glass of beer; and why 
should he not get it in his own camp, where the danger of 
going on a regular spree would be wholly cut off? Then if 
the beer was sold by the direction and consent of the army 
officers in this way, there would be quite a profit that could 
be used in supplying comforts and necessities for the camp." 
Such was the specious reasoning presented, and the "canteen" 
was allowed to be established. 

But it has not worked so nicely as was representedo Most 
shocking and debasing have been the results of introducing 
these camp saloons. Drunken brawls that are a disgrace to 
civilization have been common. And it may not be amiss 
to ask, If this is an age of real goodness — as it pretends to 
be; and if the millennium is really dawning, as is supposed by 
so many — why do not the commanding officers of the army 
put an end to this "canteen" evil among the soldiers? It is 
in their power, by a few simple dashes of the pen, to command 
the ejection of the nuisance from the camp. Some regimental 
officers have done it, and all could do it if so disposed. 

Here, again, is seen the influence of the liquor power. 
This traffic controls large sums of money. The liquor busi- 
ness in the United States requires a large army, of half a 
million men; and every one of them is a politician. Whoever 
expects to be elected to office must reckon with these dispensers 
of strong drink, and also with the great host of men in the 
slums and elsewhere that are to so great an extent under their 
control. The better element of society has been appealed to 
again and again to rise up against this corruption, and put 
men in office who were wholly upright; but these upright 



LOVERS OF PLEASURE 1 8/ 

citizens do not come forward, and the corrupting influences of 
the saloon are growing stronger every day. 

The astounding amount of drunkenness, and the influence 
of the liquor power in these times, are too well known to 
require more extended remark in this connection. When we 
view the situation as it is before our eyes to-day, is it any 
marvel that the Master should have left us the warning, "Take 
heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged 
with surfeiting, and drunkenness"? 

Running after pleasure requires that a great deal of time 
be spent in idleness; and when people are idling away their 
time in amusements, there comes the great temptation to drink- 
ing and gluttonous feasting. Then along with these evils is 
that other ruinous and debasing practise of gambling. Men 
want money to use in pleasure-seeking; and as they do not 
wish to take the time to work for it honestly, they resort to 
the races and games of chance. Baseball, the horse-race, and 
many more of the great train of pleasure-making devices, are 
used by the gambler to secure money without toil. This is 
recognized as not only an evil, but a veritable craze. It is by 
no means confined to men, nor to any one country; for women, 
and even children, all over the world, are participants in some 
way in these numerous schemes for securing money by chance. 
Boards of trade manipulate and gamble hi wheat, corn, and 
other grains; the cotton exchanges make similar speculations 
in other products of the farm; and the stock exchange places 
its stakes on the rise and fall of stocks, bonds, etc. 

Members of churches, and men of influence and standing 
in society and in the political field, take their chances on the 
board of trade or the stock exchange; the professed church 
itself conducts " fairs," "raffles," and other forms of church lot- 
teries; and with this influence at work in the higher circles, 
is it any wonder that gambling should have become such a 
craze in these times ? 



1 88 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

It is interesting to note how the promoters of these various 
schemes for pleasure are trying to cover them with a cloak of 
respectable philanthropy. For instance, here is some worthy 
charitable institution in need of funds, and the managers of a 
race-track propose to raise $5,000 or more by giving a day's 
receipts at the gates. Of course everybody is urged to attend, 
" because this is in the interest of charity and humanity." An 
opera company proposes to play for a night in behalf of some 
worthy object, and every one is again urged to attend, "For," 
it is persuasively emphasized, "you can have a lot of fun, and 
then just think that you will be helping the needy at the 
same time." 

It is to the interest of the dispensers of amusements to 
make their races, games, and plays popular. It will not do 
to have the more conscientious part of society look upon them 
question ingly; and they must be credited with long-headed fore- 
sight in the course they are pursuing, no matter what opposite 
attribute is suggested as belonging to those who deliberately 
walk into such manifest beguilements. 

No attempt is being made to present statistics or other 
facts to bring before the reader the pleasure-loving craze of 
this age. His mind is doubtless running with lightning speed, 
in noting the races, the games, the operas, and all the rest of 
the devices after which the crowds are nocking for fun. It 
is superfluous to go into detail to present evidence when it is 
standing in colossal proportions all around us. There are 
some who find their greatest happiness in the solid business, 
joys, and work of life; but the great mass want fun, and still 
more and more fun. 

Every day the papers are telling of the suicides that grow 
out of the disappointments that come in this field of pleasure 
seeking. Men and women who are given to the glittering 
sensualities of feasting and drinking, meet with some sudden 
reverse. They have been in such a hilarious state of pleasure 



LOVERS OF PLEASURE 189 

seeking that they can not endure the disappointment, and so 
their life is taken. It is also a sad fact that many murders 
are committed so that some further pleasure may be gratified. 

The professed church, even, has caught the craze for fun. 
When it is desired to raise money for church purposes, some 
entertainment is arranged to draw the people to spend their 
money for "pleasure" and "charity." When the bulwarks that 
the church should present against this evil are thus broken 
down, the world plunges still deeper into its follies; for instead 
of the church being a barrier against this growing passion for 
questionable pleasure, it has turned right about face, and has 
become a positive influence in its favor. 

Thus we see that Satan has set the whole world fairly wild 
in running after pleasures — not the pleasures that build up, 
and educate, and refine, and ennoble, but pleasures that intox- 
icate the mind with an insatiable desire for sensuous gratification 
and exciting sport. Both the world and many in the nominal 
churches have been dragged into it. The Saviour has warned 
us against this scheme of the evil one, by which he seeks so 
completely to charm the world with illusory pleasures that they 
will not discern the portentous issues of our day and gener- 
ation. And He has given us the promise: "When He putteth 
forth His own sheep, He goeth before them, and the sheep 
follow Him; for they know His voice. And a stranger will 
they not follow, but will flee from him ; for they know not the 
voice of strangers." John 10:4, 5. 



;\t/ 




'«ft^-i-»i' *■«■*»« 




CHAPTER 

TWENTY-ONE 



EFERENCE has al- 
ready been made to 
the apostle Paul's 
statement that "in the last days perilous times shall come. For 
[or because] men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous," 
etc. 2 Tim. 3:1,2. " Men shall be lovers of their own selves, 
covetous;" and because of these, in connection with other sins, 
the last days are made " perilous." 

Individuals who are completely filled with self-love, caring 
nothing for others only as a means of gratifying and pleasing 
themselves, are a very dangerous class. If they fancy that their 
personal pleasure would be increased by the destruction or 
violent taking away of the property of others, they do not 
scruple to do it. If to accomplish their desires it seems advan- 
tageous to take the life of a fellow-creature, they wait only to 
assure themselves that they can accomplish the deed without 
being caught, and then proceed to the execution of the fearful 
crime. In short, it makes no difference to those who are wholly 
given to the worship and gratification of self, how much sorrow 
and pain they cause another. Neither hunger, cold, nor any or 
all of the worst forms of suffering, seem to touch them. They 
are living only for self, and the distress of others is of little 

moment to them. 
190 



YE HAVE HEAPED TREASURES iC;I 

The reader is familiar with the Scripture statement, "As it 
was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the 
Son of Man." Luke 17:26. He also knows that the Bible 
tells us, in describing the sins of Noah's time, that "God 
saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and 
that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only 
evil continually." "And the earth was filled with violence." 
Gen. 6:5, 11. 

Now, just as surely as these scriptures are true, just so 
surely may we know that in the last days, as in Noah's time, 
"violence" and great wickedness, — so great that "every imag- 
ination " will be devoted to evil, — will be prevalent among 
mankind. With the picture of this great wickedness of Noah's 
time before the mind, it must be very evident that the self-love, 
the covetousness, that makes the last days "perilous," is the very 
worst that Satan can produce. Is it any wonder that the 
apostle, in such emphatic language, tells us that " in the last 
days perilous times shall come"? For the seeds of "self love" 
and "covetousness" planted in a heart where "every imagina- 
tion" is "only evil continually," must produce a fearful harvest. 

In the very nature of things, men who are thus "lovers of 
their own selves, covetous," will grasp for everything they can 
get hold of. Since "every imagination" is "only evil contin- 
ually," they will not be at all particular about the honesty of 
their methods in securing the objects of their covetous hearts. 
The stronger ones, and those who by some chance are thrown 
into positions of advantage, will override the weak; and some 
will thus, through selfish greed and covetousness, amass colossal 
fortunes to be used in wanton pleasure, while others will be 
mercilessly ground down by abject poverty. 

The apostle James makes this clear beyond a single doubt. 
He says: "Go to now, }^e rich men, weep and howl for your 
miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, 
and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is 



192 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

cankered ; ana the rust of them shall be a witness against you, 
and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped 
treasures together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the 
laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you 
kept back by fraud, crieth ; and the cries of them which have 
reaoed are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. 

J. 

Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton ; ye 
have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have 
condemned and killed the just ; and he doth not resist you. 
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. 
Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the 
earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early 
and latter rain. Be ye also patient ; stablish your hearts ; for 
the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one 
against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned; behold, the 
judge standeth before the door." James 5 : 1-9. 

Speaking to the rich men, this text declares, "Ye have 
heaped' treasure together for the last days." This self-loving, 
"covetous" age is marked by the heaping together of treasure, 
and none should fail to note that it is "heaped" together 
"for the last days." 

The reader is well aware of the fact that there is no subject 
to-day more widely discussed than the "relation of capital to 
labor." And why all this discussion? — It is because colossal 
fortunes have been grasped, and are in the hands of a few, 
while a great multitude is suffering from pinching want. Every 
one knows that this statement is a literal truth; and yet the 
gna wings of want are not the whole of the cause. The capi- 
talist has taught the world the advantages of combining to 
crush out competition, and thus make great fortunes in a few 
years. So the thinking laboring man says: "Why not com- 
bine, too, and get our share of this wealth?" "Why not form 
'trade unions,' fix a price on our commodity of labor, and 
compel the capitalist to pay it?" And because of the self-love 



YE HAVE HEAPED TREASURES 1 93 

and covetousness that God has foretold would characterize these 
last days, there is brought into this struggle between capital 
and labor a conflict that is becoming more and more intense 
and perplexing. 

Mankind, uninfluenced by the Spirit of the Nazarene, has 
ever been inclined to amass large fortunes, and hoard them 
as misers, or spend them in selfish pleasure. From time to 
time in the history of the past, whole nations have become 
so corrupted through the wealth that a few could control, 
that they have gone down amid the strife of their internal 
revolutions. James Anthony Froude, A. M., says of Rome 
in the days of Caesar: — 

"The intellect was trained to the highest point which it 
could reach ; and on the great subjects of human interest, 
on morals and politics, on poetry and art, even on religion 
itself and the speculative problems of life, men thought as we 
think, doubted as we doubt, argued as we argue, aspired and 
struggled after the same objects. It was an age of material 
progress, material civilization, and intellectual culture ; an age 
of pamphlets and epigrams, of salons and dinner parties, of 
senatorial majorities and electoral corruption. The highest 
offices in the state were open, in theory, to the meanest 
citizen ; they were confined, in fact, to those who had the 
longest purses or the most ready use of the tongue on 
popular platforms. Distinction of birth had been exchanged 
for distinction of wealth. The struggles between plebeians 
and patricians for equality of privilege were over, and a new 
division had been formed between the party of property and 
the party who desired a change in the structure of society. 
The free cultivators were disappearing from the soil. Italy 
was being absorbed into vast estates, held by a few favored 
families, and cultivated by slaves, while the old agricultural 
population was driven off the land, and was crowded into 
towns. The rich were extravagant, for life had ceased to have 



i 9 4 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



practical interests, except 
for its material pleasures; 
the occupation of the high 
classes was to obtain money 
without labor, and to spend 
it in idle enjoyment . " — 
Cczsar, p. 6. 

When Rome was in 
the condition described by 
Mr. Froude, there were 
numerous tribes to the 
north, who, while consid- 
ered by the Romans to be 
more barbarous than they, 
were nevertheless much 
more honorable and up- 
right. The corruptions of 
Rome had not debased 
them; and these northern 
tribes conquered her, and, 
by breaking her territory 
up into what are prac- 
tically the nations of 
Europe to-day, destroyed 
her large fortunes, and 
dissipated her corruptions. 
Thus a new civilization upon a new basis was begun. But 
the same spirit that was among the Romans, which led cer- 
tain men, more favored than their fellows, to control all the 
w r ealth, continued to work among the new nations founded on 
the ruins of the old empire ; and, during the long course of 
the centuries, in all the nations of the Old World, a few 
families have been seeking to hold the wealth and the conse- 
quent power that money gives. There have been revolts 




An alley of poverty, Chicago. 



YE HAVE HEAPED TREASURES 



195 



against the oppressions of this so-called nobility, the most 
marked being- the French Revolution. During the Middle 
Ages the great mass of the people were kept in such igno- 
rance and superstition that their revolts lacked the intelligent 
leadership necessary to make them effective. 

But when we begin to approach the intelligence of the 
sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, a 
new continent engages the attention of Europe, and so the 
revolutions that otherwise must have become general long 
before this time, were held in abeyance by the interest mani- 
fested in peopling and developing the New World. America 
has long been the asylum to which the oppressed and discon- 
tented have been welcomed, and freedom and advancement in 
this country have been a constant object-lesson to the nations 
of the eastern hemisphere ; and who can tell the moulding 
influence that our free institutions have had in brinmna- a 
greater degree of free- 
dom to some of the 
nations of Europe dur- 
ing the last hundred 



-^.jg.^ 



years 



But when 



America, "the land of 
the free and the 
home of the brave, " 
the "asylum for the 
downtrodden and 
unfortunate," her- 
self becomes as 
corrupt as the na- 
tions of the Old 
World, where, on Lodging-hou, 
the face of all the 










*A-5 






«->-. - -NK~=; 






-^^m 



it ' / ^ — '"- 



wmm 




■[& 



If 



earth, is there a "city of refuge"? In the history of all 
the past, God has borne with nations until they became 



I96 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

wholly given over to evil, and then, as the most merciful, yes, 
in fact, the only thing He could do, has given them up to 
destruction. When, in Noah's time, the whole world became 
"only evil," He destroyed all the evil people by the flood. 
We have produced abundant testimony to show that in the 
last days, the same as in the world before the flood, the "earth" 
will be "filled with violence;" hence the only remedy will be 
for Christ to come, and take the upright to Himself, and 
consign the rest to the destruction they have chosen by clinging 
to their sins. 

The wealth of the nobility in the Old World has long 
held the reins of power, and the reader of history must be 
impressed with the fact that it has not been without the pro- 
test of the anarchist, the communist, the socialist, etc. The 
sway of the money power in the past has been held in check 
to some extent by other influences; but it will not continue 
to be so in these last days of "covetousness," when men are 
"lovers of their own selves," and "every imagination" is 
"only evil continually." Hence the grasping hand that would 
seek to acquire and hold everything for itself will be more 
and more manifest. 

How is it now in America, the great land of equality, 
where every man is supposed to be on the same footing with 
every other, and where there is in theory no caste or distinc- 
tions of wealth? "In 1833," says Robert N. Reeves, "when 
Tocqueville visited America, he was struck by the equal 
distribution of wealth and the absence of capitalists. Half a 
century later, when James Bryce, author of 'The American 
Commonwealth,' visited our country, the trusts, monopolies, 
arid concentrated wealth so amazed him that he exclaimed, 
T see the shadows of a new structure of society — an aris- 
tocracy of riches.' " 

In this country there were no great fortunes fifty or sixty 
years ago. The people were living contentedly, and the heated 



YE HAVE HEAPED TREASURES 1 9/ 

discussions of capital and labor that we hear now on every 
street corner, and read in our papers all over the land, were 
hardly dreamed of; but it is vastly different to-day. The same 
writer further says: — 

" Never in the history of our country were the people 
confronted with greater social problems than they are to-day. 
The strikes, boycotts, and general discontent of late years 
prove conclusively that there is yet much room for improvement 
in our social order. . . . Every observant person must 
admit that the great concenfo'ation of wealth, whether it be in 
corporations, trusts, or individuals, has reached a point danger- 
ous to the future prosperity of the nation. . . . The 
Probate Court records of the various states disclose the fact 
that millionaires are becoming more numerous, while the smaller 
property owners are gradually sinking into the multitude of 
people possessing nothing. 

"This power of wealth is the greatest danger that has 
threatened our country since the Civil War, and against it we 
must constantly be on our guard." 

Mr. Reeves is not quoted to use him as authority in the 
matter, but simply to give a sample of the articles of which 
our papers and magazines are full all the time. It is not 
Mr. Reeves only, but thousands of men and women all over 
the country, who are speaking after the same order, only many 
of them express themselves much more strongly. With the 
facts before them in regard to the vast fortunes on the one 
hand, and the great destitution and consequent growing indica- 
tion of turbulence on the other, and without giving attention 
to the guiding light of the prophecy that .shows what all this 
means, is it any wonder that strong denunciations should be 
made against these men of vast wealth, and that by so many 
the future should be looked upon with forebodings of evil? 

In the Forum of November, 1889, is an article by Thomas 
G. Shearman, entitled "The owners of the United States." 



I98 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

In this article he mentions two estates valued at $150,000,000 
each, five estates worth $100,000,000 each, and more than 
sixty-three other estates worth from $20,000,000 to $70,000,- 
000 each. Concerning these estates he says : — 

"Making the largest allowance for exaggerated reports, there 
can be no doubt that these seventy names represent an aggre- 
gate wealth of $2,700,000,000, or an average of over $37,- 
500,000 each. The writer has not specially sought for informa- 
tion concerning any one worth less than $20,000,000, but has 
incidentally learned of fifty other persons worth over $10,- 
000,000, of whom thirty are valued in all at $450,000,000, 
making together one hundred persons worth over $3,000, 
000,000. Yet this list includes very few names from New 
England, and none from the south. Evidently it would be easy 
for any specially well-informed person to make up a list of one 
hundred names of persons averaging $25,000,000 each, in 
addition to ten averaging $100,000,000 each. The average 
annual income of the richest hundred Americans can not be less 
than $1,200,000, and probably exceeds $1,500,000." 

Mr. Shearman also estimates that twenty-five thousand per- 
sons own one-half of all the wealth of the United States. 

On June 9, 1897, the Hon. Roger Q. Mills, of Texas, made 
a speech in the United States Senate in which he said, " Mr. 
Shearman is one of the ablest lawyers in the country ;" and 
concerning his article in the Forum he stated that "it was 
published and republished again in the magazines. It was 
published in 1889. It has never been questioned. It has been 
sent broadcast; it has been commented on everywhere; and 
never have I heard one breath of contradiction or criticism of 
the article." 

Think for a moment what some of the foregoing figures 
mean. The man with an estate of $150,000,000, if he had to 
count it one dollar at a time, would need to do quite rapid work 
if he counted $60,000 in a day of ten hours, and at this rate it 



YE HAVE HEAPED TREASURES 1 99 

would take him seven long years to accomplish his task; if his 
fortune was in one-dollar bills, and placed end to end, it would 
reach about two-thirds the way around the earth. 

Speaking of the enormous wealth represented by these 
figures, Mr. Mills, in his speech in the Senate, said: "We have 
been told that concentrated money is equally as powerful for 
evil as concentrated swords and bayonets, and that liberty must 
leave the land where either tyrant rules. We are trampling 
to-day all these admonitions under our feet. . , . Our ship 
is driving upon the rocks; and unless we seize the helm, and 
change its course, the historian will emerge from the darkness 
to write the melancholy pages of the decline and fall of the 
great American Republic." 

The somber view that Mr. Mills takes of the situation is, as 
every one knows, shared by thousands of our best and most 
intelligent men. 

The New York Thrice-a-week World of June 21, 1897, 
contained the report of an interview with Mr. Shearman in 
regard to his figures published in 1889 concerning concentrated 
wealth. In this interview Mr. Shearman says: "The principles 
upon which these calculations were made have never been 
impeached, even by those who object most strongly to the 
inferences drawn. . . . Taken as a whole, my original 
figures were much too low." 

Among his "original figures" may be classed his article 
in the Forum of January, 1891, under the heading of "The 
Coming Billionaire." In this article he concludes that if 
calculation is made on the verv lowest basis, some of these 
vast estates must reach a billion dollars inside of the next forty 
years. Although, this statement of Mr. Shearman was con- 
sidered very wild at the time it was written, yet only about one- 
fourth of that forty years are allowed to pass before one holds 
in his own possession the predicted billion, or about one seventy- 
fifth of the entire wealth of the United States. It is stated on 



200 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



authority that another man, while he does not possess the whole 
amount himself, yet he is such a manipulator of finance that he 
handles, uses and holds within the grasp of his own hands the 
enormous sum of over five billions in various kinds of properties 
and securities. The simple millionaire in these days is only a 
very small fish in the great sea of accumulating fortunes ; it takes 
the billionaire now, or one who has so many millions that he has 
almost reached the billion mark, to become a real "king of 
finance." This billionaire does not receive his prodigious 
fortune as an inheritance, representing the accumulations of 
many generations of ancestors that have lived before him, but 
he steps upon the stage of action and finds things so favorable to 
his covetous designs that in one or two decades of his own brief 
lifetime he "heaps" up this unprecedented fortune. Who can 
fail to be impressed by these astounding facts? 

In the amassing of wealth there is a combination among the 
capitalists, so that they can control the sale of the staple 
commodities of daily life, and by the various means at their 
command lay the whole country under tribute to them. 

In the New York Thrice-a-week World of February io, 
1897, was an article with the following head-lines: — 



The Profits of the Sugar Trust on Its Refining 
Business Alone Have Amounted to 

$236,240,000 IN TEN YEARS. 

This Calculation Is Based on the Sworn Testimony Given 
by -- Its President, and — — 



U. 



" ■ ■ Secretary and Treasurer, Be- 

fore the Legislative Committee That Is 
Now Investigating Trusts 



This vast sum is made by the trust on just one of the 
commodities of daily life. 



YE HAVE HEAPED TREASURES 201 

It should be observed in this connection that it took ten 
years back in the nineties to make that two hundred thirty-six 
millions. But one of the big trusts that was formed in the first 
year of the new century made a net profit during the first twelve 
months of its existence of $140,000,000. Thus that which 
seemed like an immense thing to the New York World in 1897 
is wholly swept away in less than half a decade by the much 
greater accomplishment that comes bearing down upon the 
world as a veritable avalanche in commercial speculation. 

Speaking of a trust controlling another staple commodity, 
Mr. Henry D. Lloyd says: "A friendly journal, the New York 
Sun, of April 25, 1889, in an editorial paragraph concerning 
the wealth of one of the trustees, said, 'His regular income is 
$20,000,000 a year.' Another entirely friendly paper, with 
sources of information of the very best, put his income two 
years later at $30,000,000 a year. No denial of the Suns 
statement was attempted, and the Sun never withdrew or 
modified its figures." — Wealth against Commonwealth, p. 459. 

A man with a yearly income of twenty or thirty millions of 
dollars is certainly " heaping together treasures." 

But the individual is not satisfied with what he can heap 
together alone, neither are the powers of the ordinary corpora- 
tion adequate to his selfish greed. Hence " trusts" have been 
invented, by means of which the whole business of not merely 
the entire nation but of the whole world can be monopolized, 
and compelled to pay a revenue to the covetous worshiper at 
the shrine of mammon. Among the trusts reported to have 
been formed in the earlier months of 1898 was the tobacco 
trust, with a capital of $100,000,000; the electric trust, with a 
capital of $25,000,000; the silverware trust, with a capital of 
$30,000,000; the iron trust, with a capital of $200,000,000; the 
cutlery trust, with a capital of $2,000,000; and so on. The 
total amount of wealth grasped by the trusts in this country 
alone for the year 1898 is placed by good authorities at $1,000,- 

13 



202 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

000,000. In 1898 these figures seemed enormous, and the 
world was startled by what they might signify. Newspapers 
fell to discussing the danger ; the platform and pulpit took it up, 
and it was a theme of discussion and agitation everywhere. But 
soon after this great out-cropping of trusts in 1898 there was 
the formation of the big steel trust with its capitalization of 
$1,389,339,956, and other trusts with a capitalization of over 
$10,000,000 each, making an aggregate of $4,318,005,646. Be 
particular to note that this enormous figure embraces only the 
trusts with a capitalization of over $10,000,000 each; it does not 
take into account the long array of trusts and combines that 
have a lesser capitalization. 

All are familiar with the fact that these large aggregations 
of capital crush out the small independent dealers, and hold the 
prices of commodities, and the general interests of business, 
within their iron grasp. 

It would be a wearisome as well as a useless task to try to 
present anything like a tithe of the great mass of evidence that 
might be given in regard to the " heaping" together of treasure. 
Every one knows that the combines of wealth meet us at the 
very threshold of life, and, following us all the journey through, 
ask a tribute at every step on the various necessary things of 
daily use, until finally the portals of the tomb are reached, 
and even there are we met by the agent of the undertakers' 
association, who collects his fee before our mortal remains are 
allowed to be laid to rest. 

Meet men everywhere, and their theme is " making money." 
Money must be had at all hazards. If it can not be obtained 
honestly, it must be gained in some other way. A. R. Barrett, 
formerly a government examiner of failed banks, says, in the 
Arena: — 

" Statistics show that . . . bank wreckers, embezzlers, 
and defaulters have robbed the people of this country of . . 
an average of over ten millions of dollars per annum ; and this 



YE HAVE HEAPED TREASURES 203 

state of things has been growing worse. . . . The cause 
may be attributed to that desire which seems to pervade all 
classes to 'get rich quickly* and to live extravagantly. The 
means by which the riches are obtained are too little considered. 
It is unfortunate that political and social power are too often 
measured by riches, and the temptation to obtain such power 
is greater than many men can withstand." 

According to a statement made by the lord chief justice 
of England, an average of about $20,000,000 per annum is 
embezzled in the British Empire. Thus is the Old World 
outstripping the New in this infamous business. 

Such statements of fraud and embezzlement are simply 
appalling; but when we remember that we are in the time 
when men full of "self-love and covetousness " are to "heap 
treasure together," the reverent student of the Word of God 
will recognize in it the clear fulfilment of prophecy. 

Some of the great capitalists invest much of their money 
in land; and it may be interesting as well as impressive to 
note the vast estates some of them own. There is one person 
in the United States who owns four million sixty-eight thousand 
acres. This is equal to a little more than a ninth of the whole 
state of Illinois. A syndicate of four men owns an estate of 
three million acres, or what is equal to more than a twelfth 
of the state of Illinois. There is another estate of nearly two 
million acres, and still another of one million acres. There 
are, besides, several syndicates, each of which owns from five 
hundred thousand to four million five hundred thousand acres, 
as well as a long list of individuals, each one of whom owns 
from fifty thousand to seven hundred thousand acres of land. 

Just what use, men could ever think of making of such vast 
amounts of land, it is impossible for any one to suggest. But 
we are in the "time of the end," and men are engaged in 
"heaping treasures together for the last days." 

We might naturally expect that when there is such an 



204 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

amassing of wealth on the one hand, there would be a corre- 
sponding amount of destitution on the other. And the Scrip- 
tures affirm this fact as follows: " Behold, the hire of the 
laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you 
kept back by fraud, crieth; and the cries of them which have 
reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth." 
James 5:4. Then capital, in these "last days," when men are 
so "covetous," and such "lovers of their own selves/' will 
oppress the laborer so that he "crieth" out against it, and it 
is said that the "cries" are heard by the Lord. It is not the 
purpose of these pages to discuss either the rights or the 
wrongs of either one of the parties to this capital and labor 
controversy. The design is to call attention to the prophecy 
and to invite every one to consider how literally it is being 
fulfilled in the doings of the day. 

Despite the prosperity that may reign in portions of the 
world at different times, there are whole armies of people in 
all the large cities that are continually bordering on the verge 
of destitution, and in many cases the destitution is quite com- 
plete. But how cheering is the thought that in spite of this 
wicked and covetous age, in which Satan is trying to turn 
every one to evil, there are thousands of kind and sympa- 
thizing hearts and hands that are throbbing and working for 
these unfortunates! These workers in our city missions are 
constantly finding, amid the destitution there, children six or 
seven years of age with not a single article of clothing upon 
them. Families of four or five persons of both sexes are 
crowded together in one room, sometimes below ground, and 
this room is used for every purpose. There are tenements 
in which from one hundred and fifty to two hundred persons, 
men, women, and children, are herded together like cattle — 
perhaps it would be more truthful to say hogs — and sleep in 
heaps upon the landings of the stairs and every other available 
place. These houses are owned by respectable (?) citizens, who 



YE HAVE HEAPED TREASURES 205 

are not satisfied with less than twenty or thirty per cent profit 
upon their investment. 

Within these filthy premises are the "sweat shops" of our 
cities, where individuals are paid for their work at such star- 
vation rates as forty-five cents a dozen for making "knee- 
pants." The merchant, of course, since he gets his work done 
so cheaply, and sells his goods at a high price, and perhaps 
owns the miserable quarters where these "sweated" workers 
dwell, and gets a good rent for them, has a very handsome 
profit. The untold misery that exists in these "sweat shops" 
the day of judgment alone can reveal. Being able only to 
make a bare existence, these unfortunate creatures are com- 
pelled to work every moment of their time from early morn 
till late at night; they can not stop for sickness or pain so 
long as they can compel their physical machinery to act; and 
the quarters they occupy any one would recognize as not con- 
ducive to health. One man was asked to repair the roof over 
his workmen. It was giving them rheumatism, asthma, and 
consumption. He said, "Men are cheaper than shingles; no 
sooner does one drop out than a dozen are ready to take his 
place." 

Through the Boston Herald Rev. Everett D. Burr gives 
the result of some of his experiences, as follows: — 

"A short time ago I heard of a family in very destitute 
circumstances. I was told that the father, a steady, hard- 
working man, had been one of the last discharged from the 
cordage factory. I went to the house, and found there a 
family of seven, who hadn't had anything to eat for eight 
days except beans, and didn't have money to buy even salt. 

"The other day when I went to visit a house, a little bit of 
a girl met me outside the door, and, seeing the basket on my 
arm, asked me if I had anything to eat in it; Tor, do you know, 1 
she said pathetically, as she laid her hand on a worn little apron, 
' I feel awful queer there, kind of sore, you know?' 



206 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 






"And it is the knowl- 
edge fathers have of the 
suffering of the children at 
home that makes it harder 
for them to bear the pres- 
ent state of affairs. Why, 
men come to us after 
walking the streets all 
day, sink into a chair, and 
almost cry, telling us they 
can not go home to the 
children empty-handed." 
Childhood, of all times 
of life, should be relieved 
from every distressing 
care and filled up with 
sunshine and joy. But 
there is no sunshine in 
the little hearts in the 
"sweat shops." Sometimes the father makes the situation worse 
by giving up to strong drink ; but where this is not the case, in 
these miserable burrowing places (they can not be called by that 
dearest name, home), not only father and mother have to work 
all day and until late at night, but little children four and five 
years of age, in order to assist in supporting the family, are 
required to work all the weary hours of a long day and evening 
too. And is it any wonder, under these circumstances, that a 
gentleman who incidentally remarked in one of these "sweat 
shops" that he was forty-five years old, was met with the 
serious and deeply pathetic comment of a little girl, "I should 
think any one would get so tired of living so long"? How 
distressing it seems that even in childhood, which is usually 
buoyant and happy, every spark of joy that makes life worth 
living is thus snuffed out, and coming years, instead of being 




"Misery . . 
exists in these 
sweat-shops." 



YE HAVE HEAPED TREASURES 



207 



LUXURIOUS FEASTS OF 
ANCIENTS OUTDON 



filled with bright anticipations, are looked upon with " tired >s 
and gloomy forebodings that are more dismal than the tomb ! 
And how much more distressing is the thought that in this 
age of self-love and covetousness, hearts are so icy cold that 
they can press down these poor unfortunates, and make their 
sad lot harder and harder, instead of trying to send one ray 
of sunshine across their dreary pathway ! 

While this distressing poverty is exhibiting itself in all our 
great cities, we may be met with such head-lines in the papers 
as those appearing below. 

What a striking fulfilment is such an occurrence as this of 
that verse already quoted from James' prophecy, "Ye have 
lived in pleasure 
on the earth, and 
been wanton; ye 
have nourished 
your hearts, as in 
a day of slaughter" 
(James 5:5)! 

Truly, as we 
read this prophecy, 
we must acknowl- 
edge that in pro- 
phetic vision James 
had presented to 
his mind a vivid 
portrayal of these 
"last-day" scenes; 
for while the dis- 
tressing "cries" -of 
the oppressed la- 
borer are still upon 
the prophet's ears, 
his attention is 



A 



800 Persons in Attire of Surpassing Magnificence 

Participate in New York's Greatest 

Social Function. 



HOSTESS DECKED 



PRICELESS JEWELS, 



Irs, 



Led the Quadrille, Wearing 
Gems Valued at a Quarter of a 
Million Dollars. 



GREAT CROWDS SURROUND THE WALDORF. 



The most sumptuous, brilliant and costly social function that New York 
has ever knov/c was the fancy-dress ball given by Mrs. — — ==— — — at 
the Waldorf last night 

Abo-ut eight hundred people were there, of whom more than four hun- 
dred and fifty were women. The ball placed about 5L00.C00 in circulation. 

The ball began at midnight and ended at 5 o'clock this morning. There- 
foro Its pieaaurts cjst at the rate of $100,000 an hour. The ccst to the boat- 
ess was about 5125,000. 

It was a cupsrb spectacle. People came thousands of miles to attend It 



2o8 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

suddenly directed to the "wanton" "pleasure" of those who 
are "nourishing their hearts as in a day of slaughter." 

Please read again carefully the first verses of the fifth chapter 
of James and see how literally they are meeting their fulfilment 
to-day. Men are most truly and marvelously "heaping to- 
gether treasure for the last days;" the "cry of the laborer" is 
waxing louder and louder because of his great destitution, and 
amid it all is the "wanton" "pleasure" of the rich, individuals 
among whom, decked in jewels worth a quarter of a million, are 
dancing at balls which cost a hundred thousand dollars an hour. 
Truly a more literal fulfilment of the prophecy could not be 
asked, and as we see these things, can there be any doubt in 
regard to where we are standing in the history of the world? 

Says Bishop Potter: "The growth of wealth and of luxury, 
wicked, wasteful, and wanton, as before God I declare that 
luxury to be, h.is been matched step by step by a deepening 
and deadening poverty which has left whole neighborhoods of 
people practically without hope and without aspiration. At such 
a time, for the church of God to sit still and be content with 
theories of its duty outlawed by time, and long ago demon- 
strated to be grotesquely inadequate to the demands of a living 
situation, this is to deserve the scorn of men and the curse of 
God. Take my word for it, men and brethren, unless you 
and I, and all those who have any gift or stewardship of talents 
or means, of whatever sort, are willing to get up out of our sloth 
and ease and selfish dilettanteism of service, and get down 
among the people who are battling amid their poverty and 
ignorance — young girls for their chastity, young men for their 
better ideal of righteousness, old and young alike for one clear 
ray of the immortal courage and the immortal hope — then 
verily the church, in its stately splendor, its apostolic orders, 
its venerable ritual, its decorous and dignified conventions, 
is revealed as simply a monstrous and insolent impertinence." 

The professed churches of Christ certainly have a grave 



YE HAVE HEAPED TREASURES 20Q 

responsibility in this matter ; for many of those who hold such 
great wealth make a profession of Christianity. And when we 
consider Him whose whole life was spent going about doing 
good for others; and of whom it is said He "hath not where to 
lay His head;" and of whom it is written, "Though He was 
rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His 
poverty might be rich" — how can we truly be His followers if 
we are found acting in the contrary manner? 

The Word says: "How hardly shall they that have riches 
enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to 
go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the 
kingdom of God." Luke 18:24, 25. The Lord says further: 
"Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high- 
minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, 
who giveth us richly all things to enjoy ; that they do good, 
that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to 
communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good founda- 
tion against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal 
life." 1 Tim. 6: 17-19. 

Comment on the foregoing scripture is unnecessary. Let 
each one receive it as the direct voice of God, and prepare 
to make answer to Him in person. The church or the pas- 
tor that will bear a carnally-soothing testimony now, seeking to 
take away the keen edge of God's warning, becomes equally 
responsible with the man of w r ealth. The question is that of 
eternal destiny ; and the man who is groping in the dark 
should not be told that he is all right. He should have his 
darkness and deception driven away by receiving the clear 
light of the infallible Word. 

The warning given by James should not be overlooked: 
"Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries 
that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and 
your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is can- 
kered, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, 



2IO HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped 
treasure together for the last days." Chapter 5:1-3. Thus 
does this scripture not only call attention to the "treasure" 
that shall be "heaped together for the last days," but it also 
tells of the "miseries" that shall cause these "rich men" to 
"weep and howl," and of their unused wealth that "shall eat 
their flesh as it were fire." 

The present seizing of the wealth of the world, and its 
wanton display, by a comparatively few men, form a large 
part of the seed-sowing for that world-wide reign of terror 
that is being hastened on. At different times. small portions 
of the world have had to pass through the revolutionary hor- 
rors that congested and grinding wealth has produced; but 
that which confronts us to-dav is not local, but universal; and 
the most distressing poverty that can be found is not more to 
be pitied than the men of colossal wealth; for smouldering 
beneath the banquet hall and all the luxuriant, extravagant 
dissipations and displays of the rich, may be clearly seen and 
heard the threatening tokens of the social volcano. The posi- 
tion of the rich is not an enviable one. The Word of God 
places the matter in its true light, and rich and poor alike 
should give heed to the faithful warnings. 

When the Word of God says, "Go to now, ye rich men, 
weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you," 
it is a warning that is not to be passed by lightly. There is 
to be not only a "weeping" but a "howling" because of "mis- 
eries" that shall come upon the rich. It must be observed 
that the misery that causes this weeping and howling of 
the rich is not something that God brings upon them in the 
form of a judgment or divine punishment, but it is something 
that "shall come" upon them. In other words, it is the 
harvest for which they have been sowing. They have aggra- 
vated the poor and unfortunate by luxurious vices, and "wan- 
ton" extravagance, and now they are simply reaping what 



YE HAVE HEAPED TREASURES 211 

they have sown. A more definite truth can not be found 
than the Bible statement, " Whatsoever a man soweth, that 
shall he also reap." This is the statement of a divine law that 
may be observed everywhere. Our reaping must always be 
the fruit of what we sow. 

And in this connection, it should be stated that the man 
of moderate wealth, the one who has made a good living for 
himself and family, and built himself a neat and comfortable 
home, but who can not be ranked among the financial kings, 
will be struck by the calamities predicted in this prophecy the 
same as "the great money barons" unless he is put on his 
guard, and prepares himself against it. 

God has permitted little corners of the world at different 
times to enact some of the scenes that are here foretold as 
being universal in the "last days." The most notable of 
these scenes is the one familiarly known to everybody as the 
"French Revolution and Reign of Terror." Those who are 
acquainted with the history of that time know that reason was 
not allowed to act. The virtues of the individual were not 
investigated. But the popular cry was raised against men and 
women, and they were marched to the guillotine, in whole pla- 
toons, day after day. 

Men should be able to read in unmistakable language the 
signs of these times. The banding together of every trade and 
laboring occupation of whatever kind, and the popular clamor 
that is being stirred up against the rich can not be long in 
reaching a terrible climax. If this scripture prophecy was left 
entirely out of the calculation, men should learn from the read- 
ing of history alone that the conditions of to-day are rushing 
the world along to a general hurricane of revolution. The 
situation is such that it can not be averted. Just as surely as 
effect follows cause, just that surely may we expect to see a 
world-wide revolution and general reign of terror. In that time 
the man who lives in a good house will be made the target 



212 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

for the bomb and torch. The fact that he is in comfortable 
circumstances will be all the evidence required before the " vio- 
lent" jury that will try his case at the mob's tribunal. Pos- 
sessing honesty, integrity, and virtue, or lacking these things, 
will not enter into the count. In times of revolution, reason 
does not bear rule; it is sentiment and popular impulse that 
drives the mob along to do their revolting acts of violence. 

We have seen in a preceding chapter that these last days 
are to be characterized by "violence," and this clash between 
capital and labor is one among the ingredients that will be 
worked into the stormy conflict. Do not throw this matter 
aside by saying, "This is such a dark picture." It is perfectly 
clear from the world's standpoint that the picture is a dark 
one. It is true, nevertheless, and therefore we should give it 
our attention ; for if we properly consider it, and properly relate 
ourselves to it, we need not be afflicted with any of the mis- 
eries of the time. To close our eyes to the facts that enter 
into the situation means everlasting ruin. 

The truly enlightened Christian will not be found now quar- 
reling with the rich over their possessions; he will not be a 
party to this controversy between the rich and the poor; he 
will not espouse either side of it. He will recognize that his 
work is to point men to the fulfilling prophecy, and thus show 
them what these threatening dangers mean ; for he knows that 
the time can not be far off when "they shall go into the holes 
of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the 
Lord, and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to 
shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols 
of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for 
himself ["lovers of their own selves, covetous"] to worship, to 
the moles and to the bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, 
and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, 
and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake 
terribly the earth." Isa. 2:19-21. 



YE HAVE HEAPED TREASURES 2 1 3 

So, then, He of whom it is said, "Justice and judgment 
are the habitation of Thy throne; mercy and truth shall go 
before Thy face," will deal in righteousness with all classes, — 
with those who cling to their riches and wanton pleasure, 
instead of accepting the "true riches" and the "joys that are 
forevermore," as well as with the most lowly and poor. 

Riches were intended by the Creator to be a blessing to 
all mankind. What an opportunity the man of wealth has in 
these times; but soon he will be called to give an account of 
his stewardship; and if still found at that time to be untrue 
to his trust, how great will be the confusion and bitter remorse 
into which he will be thrown! The money now found in the 
hands of many wealthy men has been gathered by extortion, 
and the commonest kind of honesty would suggest that it be 
returned to its rightful owners. But the poor should not take 
this work of judgment into their own hands by any means; 
for "behold the Judge standeth before the door," and before 
that tribunal only righteousness and truth will prevail. 

While mercy's door is still held open, let every nerve be 
thrilled with the one work of pointing all to Him who is the 
Friend of sinners, and whose coming is only mercifully deferred 
that all who can possibly be touched by His love may be led 
to get ready to meet Him, and, amid the unsullied joys of the 
redeemed, live in His presence forevermore. Reader, will you 
assist in passing the good news along that Jesus is coming 
again, and that His coming is near, even at the doors? Men 
everywhere are unnerved before the thought of the things that 
they see about them. In the prophetic language of the apostle, 
their "hearts are failing them for fear, and for looking after 
those things that are coming on the earth." Help to tell 
them that this darkness is only the evil that Satan is stirring 
up in his last desperate effort to destroy mankind. There is 
a shelter provided for every one, and we should see this, and 
enter into it before the destruction can overtake us. 




CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO 

AND the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and 
A the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and 
** that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the 
prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, 
small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy 
the earth. °And the temple of God was opened in heaven, 
and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament; 
and there were lightnings, and voices, and thundenngs, and 
an earthquake, and great hail." Rev. n: i8, 19. 

This scripture brings us face to face with the "time of 
the dead, that they should be judged." Observe that the 
text also says that "the nations were angry." So, then, when 
the great judgment day is at hand, the nations will not be 

found at peace. 

Another scripture bears the same direct testimony: "And 
I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth 
214 



W L.r\L-. 




w^« 



of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out 

of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits 

of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of 

the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle 

of that great day of God Almighty." Rev. 16: 13, 14. 

How extensive is the application of this scripture! "The 

kings of the earth and of the whole world," through the agency 

of evil spirits, are to be gathered "to the battle of that great 

day of God Almighty." The Lord has said, "Wo to the 

inhabiters of the earth and of the sea ! for the devil is come 

down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that 

he hath but a short time." Rev. 12: 12. It is this evil one 

who goes to "the kings of the earth" to make them "angry" 

when he "knoweth" that time is short and the "great day of 

God Almighty" .is almost here. The same evil spirit has 

sought to keep the people in ignorance of his workings by 

filling them with the idea that we are approaching a time of 

universal peace instead of the most awful war that the world 

has ever seen. 

215 



2l6 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

Through the prophet Joel we have a vivid description of 
the great war preparations near the close of time. He says : 
''Proclaim ye this among the nations: Prepare war; stir up 
the mighty men ; let all the men of war draw near, let them 
come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning- 
hooks into spears ; let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble 
yourselves [margin], and come, all ye nations round about, 
and gather yourselves together ; thither cause thy mighty ones 
to come down, O Lord. Let the nations bestir themselves, 
and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there will I sit 
to judge all the nations round about. Put ye in the sickle, 
for the harvest is ripe ; come, get you down [margin] ; for the 
winepress is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is 
great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision [margin, 
Authorized Version, "concision, or threshing"]; for the day of 
the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the 
moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. 
And the Lord shall roar from Zion, and utter His voice from 
Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake; but 
the Lord will be a refuge unto His people, and a stronghold 
to the children of Israel." Chapter 3: 9-16, R. V. 

This scripture also presents the judgment scenes. "For 
there will I sit to judge all the nations round about." And 
again: "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! for 
the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision." Now 
observe that just as clearly as this scripture brings to view 
the sitting of the Lord "to judge all the nations," and the 
time when the "day of the Lord is near," just so clearly does 
it say: "Proclaim ye this among the nations: Prepare war; 
stir up the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near, let 
them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your 
pruning-hooks into spears ; let the weak say, I am strong." 

Thus we find that the Scripture teaching makes it clear 
that the "last days" will be characterized by the intensity of the 



war spirit as well as by the intensity of 
wickedness in general, the marvelous in- 
crease of knowledge, the heaping together 
of treasure, and the great combining of 
every masterly deception that the enemy 
can invent. 

The Lord, through His prophets, 
speaks the truth concerning the nations. 
There will be a preparation for war; and 
instead of beating their swords into plow- 
shares, and their spears into pruning- 
hooks,' they will beat their "plowshares 
into swords, and their pruning-hooks into 
spears." Observe how different is the lan- 
guage of the Lord from that which many 
people will be saying in the last days, as 
has already been shown in chapter 14. 

The prophetic declaration is that the 
war spirit will prevail over the whole 
world; and what may be seen among the 
nations to-day? Does the outlook indicate 



1. Viking, 700 A. D. 

2. Roman or Greek 

Galley, 300 b. c. 

3. Armades, 10c 

4. Venetian, 1300. 



5. Spanish, 1492. 

6. French, 1600. 

7. English, 1700. 

8. American, 1814 



9. American, 1835. 

10. Monitor, 1862. 

11. Merrimac, 1862. 

12. First-class battle- 
ship, 20th century. 





14 



Evolution of the battle-ship. 



217 



2l8 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



a universal peace? Are not the greatest armies being hastily 
gathered, and the most marvelous implements of war being 
forged, that could ever have been conceived in the wildest 
realm of imaginative fancy? 

The following table gives, as nearly as the facts can be 
obtained from the best statistical authorities, the comparative 
strength of the principal armies of the world for the years 1869, 
1892, 1897 an< 3 1902. 



Countries. 



Germany 

France .. 

Italy 

Austria 

Russia 

Great Britain 

Turkey 

Spain 

Denmark. 

Greece 

Switzerland 

Sweden and Norway 

Bulgaria 

Servia 

Roumania 

Japan 

China , 

Mexico 

Brazil « 

Chile.... 

Argentine Republic. 
Venezuela 

Totals 



1869. 



977,262 

825,696 

464,321 

822,472 

1,199,996 

251,722 

499,360 

173,785 

50,371 

14.716 

350,020 

183,561 

25,000 
38,000 



5,876,282 



1892. 



4,500,000 

4 350,000 

1,636,000 

2,500,000 

4,000,000 

602,000 

1,150,000 

800,000 

91,000 

180,000 

338,000 

338,000 

180,000 
280,000 



1897. 



5,225,105 

5,014,842 

2,223,114 

1,782,400 

5,093,816 

800,800 

1,120,138 

1,561,826 

222,695 

297,964 

493,175 
276,219 
226,342 
271,170 

250,537 
349,941 
631,400 
165,427 
98,142 

95,714 
66,237 

257,764 



1902. 



20,945,000 26,524,768 



5,56i 395 

5,076.419 
3,308,551 

1,872,178 

5,017,703 

1,276,400 

1,500,000 

937,o67 

93,o76 

218,958 

554,5oo 

580,000 

236,270 

350,000 

241, 9 T 5 

632,000 

1,000,000 

208,984 

94,620 

72,110 

73,300 

29,525 



28,934,971 



Increase between 1869 and 1892, 15,068,718; increase between 1892 and 1897, 
5,579,768; increase between 1897 and 1902, 2,410,203; increase for the whole 33 
years, between 1869 and 1902, 23,058,689. 

The great Napoleon introduced the idea of putting the 
whole male population under military conscription. The plan 
was at first treated as an innovation that should not be carried 
into practical effect. But, notwithstanding the military genius 
of Napoleon, and his great ability in gathering and organizing 



AND THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY 



219 




armies, he had only 
about four hundred 
seventy-five thousand 
men ready for the 
field when, in 18 12, 
• he began his famous 
and disastrous ( march 
to Moscow; and 
upon this occasion he 
wrote to Davout, " I 
have never made 
greater preparations." 
This French 
army of less 
than half a 




million men had 
been the terror of 
all Europe; but how small 
indeed does it seem when com- 
pared with her present army 
of more than five millions! 

From the foregoing table it 
will be seen that as recently 
as 1869, Europe had less than 
six million men under arms ; 
but a military epidemic has 
spread over the 
world ; and the ar- 
mies of about six 
millions in 1869, in- 
creased in the next 
twenty-three years 
to almost twenty- 
one millions. And 




British navy, 30 miles long. Revenge in the foreground. 



220 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



in the five years between 1892 and 1897, another addition of 
five and a half millions, and between 1897 and 1902, still 
2,410,203 more were added to these unprecedented armies, 
composed of men who are trained to the highest degree of 
perfection in the military art. It is a further significant fact 
that two million four hundred thirty-four thousand ninety-four 



c 







The war-ships of the world, 
one to a mile, would cover a line 
farther than from New York to 
Liverpool. 



of the number were added to these expanding armies during 
the one year of 1897. Still more significant than all these 
other facts is the military fever that broke out so suddenly and 
so extensively in the United States in the early part of 1898. 
This country had held herself aloof from the entanglements of 
Old World politics, and in her majestic isolation felt no need 
of a great army; but trouble with Spain arises, and with one 
dashing bound she springs into the very center of the broils of 
the " angry" nations, and from every human indication she will 



AND THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY 221 

remain in the turbulent stream of international politics until 
the final battle of that " great day." 

But this marvelous increase in the number of men composing 
the armies of the world is by no means a full presentation of 
their vastly-increased power; for the weapons with which 
Napoleon and the great generals of all former times fought, 
were mere toys when compared with the weapons that are now 
being prepared. 

Previous to the Rebellion in this country, 1861-1864, 
breech-loading guns were not in use to any extent. Their 
introduction placed a weapon in the hands of the infantry that 
could be fired much more rapidly than the guns they replaced; 
and immediately other improvements in ammunition, etc., fol- 
lowed, making these breech-loading guns far more effective in 
range and accuracy. In 1861 Dr. R. J. Gatling invented the 
gun that bears his name, and the ingenious mechanism of this 
weapon enables it to fire from six hundred to twelve hundred 
shots per minute. The " Maxim automatic machine gun" is 
perhaps one of the best known of these modern "lead squirts," 
as they are popularly called. This gun is fully automatic ; that 
is, when its ammunition is placed in position, the gunner simply 
keeps his finger pressed on the trigger and directs the aim, and 
the recoil from each bullet as it is fired ejects the shell, and 
throws in place and discharges the next bullet, and so on. The 
operator simply swings the gun to and fro very much as a 
fireman or a gardener would use his hose, and he pours upon 
the enemy a literal stream of leaden death. No advancing 
column can meet such a fire without well-nigh, if not complete, 
destruction. 

Among the illustrations of the awfully destructive work of 
these machine guns may be cited the fight on the Nile between 
the British and the Dervishes, in September of 1898. The 
Dervishes had none of the modern weapons, but showed all 
the valor of the most warlike armies of former times. They 



222 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



charged upon the British in great numbers, but it was only to 
be mowed down by thousands beneath the withering fire of the 
machine guns of the English. The re- 

ports stated that less 
the British were killed 
dred were wounded, 
estimates of the Der- 
wounded were fifteen 
some reports said 
thousand. This is but 
however, when com- 



than a hundred of 

and not three hun- 

while the lowest 

vishes killed and 

thousand, and 

twenty-two 

a mere trifle, 

pared with 




Sea-going battle-ship Iowa. She is armored with 14 inches of steel plate, and armed with four 
12-inch, eight 8-inch, six 4-inch rapid firers, twenty 6-pounders, four i-pounders, four Colt guns, two 
field pieces and four torpedo tubes. Her speed is 17.1 knots; displacement, 11,340 tons. 

what will take place when the great conflict shall come between 
the vast armies of the civilized world, when all are fully armed 
and equipped with the latest improved and deadliest weapons. 
But it is not alone in these smaller arms for the infantry that 
the great improvements have been made. The wars of thirty 
to forty years ago were fought with old muzzle-loading, cast- 
iron cannon, and the most of them were smoothbore. While 
some of these guns had about as large a bore as the guns of 
to-day, no comparison could be made as to their effectiveness. 



AND THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY 



223 



All are familiar with the famous battle between the Mer- 
rimac and Monitor in the Civil War of the United States. Mr. 
John R. Spears thus describes the armament of the Merrimac: 
"The battery of the Merrimac contained six of the nine-inch 
Dahlgrens found in the Norfolk navy-yard, and four rifles 
designed by Brooke. Two of these rifles were mounted as 
pivots at bow and stern, and two smaller ones were in the 
broadside. The pivots were cast-iron muzzle-loading rifles of 
seven-inch caliber, and they weighed fourteen thousand five 
hundred pounds each. The reader will appreciate the weight 
of the gun when it is told that the best gun in the British navy 
at that time was the sixty-eight-pounder, having a caliber of 
eight inches and weighing nine thousand five hundred pounds. 
Moreover, Brooke's heavy casting was reinforced by wrought- 
iron bands shrunk on. The broadside guns were of the same 




■nwMM^^ : - : '' '^■ : -:-^^mi 



..-..-.■..■■■-. ■■■■ 



Cross-section of revolving turret, showing the men on the inside working the big guns of a battle-ship. 

construction, but weighed nine thousand pounds, and were of 
four-inch caliber. Brookes guns were far and away the best 
then afloat." — History of Our Navy, vol. 4, p. 188. 



224 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



John M. Brooke took the lead in the designing and building 
of the Merrimac; hence the references to him in the above 

quotation. It should also be stated that the Merrimac was cov- 
ered with four inches of iron, laid on a backing of oak timbers. 
The Monitor had a covering of five one-inch iron plates 
bolted on, and also backed by heavy oak timbers. Her flat 
deck was protected by two layers of half-inch iron plates. Her 
revolving turret was built up of eight thicknesses of one-inch 




Washington Gun Factory. Boring and turning heavy guns. 

iron plates. She carried in this turret two eleven-inch smooth- 
bore guns, firing solid shot weighing from one hundred seventy 
to one hundred eighty pounds. Her speed was between four 
and five knots. 



AND THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY 



225 




Interior of gun shop, Washington, D. C. Show- 
ing mammoth traveling crane. 



Both of these vessels were built at the same time, the 
Merrimac by the Confederates, and the Monitor by the Union 
forces in the North. The Merrimac was completed in time 
to get in one day's fighting before the Monitor cOuld reach 
the scene of action. There 
had been much gossip about 
the building of these two iron- 
clads, and the rumors descrip- 
tive of the Merrimac had 
inspired a good deal of dread 
among many of the Northern 
men. But the officers of the 
Union navy were fully con- 
vinced that Lord Howard 
Douglas "had conclusively demonstrated that an iron-clad 
would prove more dangerous to her own crew than to the 
enemy;" so they were full of confidence when they entered 
the fight against this new engine of war. The Merrimac 
rammed the Cu??zberland, and soon sunk her. She then turned 
to the Congress, and after a little while destroyed this vessel 
also. She then retired to the Confederate side for the night, 
thinking to return in the morning and destroy the rest of the 
Union fleet and the shore batteries as well. 

The Monitor steamed into Hampton Roads that night; 
and when the Merrimac came back to resume the fio-ht in the 
morning, the two vessels engaged in the first battle between 
iron-clads, They fought each other for six hours. • Each 
vessel tried to ram the other. Shot after shot w r as fired with 
the ships almost touching each other. Each side had a new 
kind of naval equipment, and each fought with the desperate 
and valorous determination that the novel condition inspired. 

The Merrimac came into this engagement with a good deal 
of confidence; for she had been the target the day before for 
one hundred heavy guns at one time. Some of her parts had 



226 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



been shot away, it is true; but her iron armor was still unin- 
jured; and even after her six hours' fight with the Monitor, 
her armor was nowhere pierced. It is also true that she served 
her ten guns on the Monitor at short range for all of that six- 
hours contest, and to the best of her ability ; still the Monitors 
armor was also uninjured. 

The Monitor fired one of her two guns about every seven 
or eight minutes, thus showing that it took nearly a quarter 
of an hour to load each gun and get it in position to shoot. 
The Merrimac, having five guns on each broadside, was able 
to fire one of them on an average about every three minutes 
while she was doing her best work. One gun crew on the 




One of the big cannon being transported on a specially-constructed car, made of the best boiler 
steel, and requiring 32 wheels to support it. 

Merrimac became so disheartened with their inability to break 
through the armor of the Monitor, that they ceased firing, 
saying as they did so, "We can do her about as much damage 
by snapping our fingers at her every two or three minutes." 

This battle between these two iron-clads brought out the 
very best there was in all the world up to that time in the way 
of cannon as well as naval vessels. This matter has been 
presented somewhat in detail, in order to show the contrast 
between naval warfare then and now. The first battle between 
iron-clads was fought in the recent past; but both the ships 
and cannon of that time are very primitive when placed beside 
those in use to-day. 

For instance, if it had been the battle-ship Oregon that met 
the Merrimac — or, for that matter, had she met the Merrimac 




CO 

CO 









z 
< 



O 

LLI 
-J 
V- 
V- 
<c 

DQ 

UJ 

r 






c 

C 
(/5 





C 


X 


3 


a: 


:/j 


C 


1) 


rt 


u 


O. tc 


ffi 






— 


0) 




J 


— 




rt 










UJ 


bfl 










<L> 


C/l 


J3 


P 



O o 



AND THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY 



229 



and the Monitor combined — on that March morning in 1862, 
the story would have been very different. It was considered 
remarkable then that the Merrimac and the Monitor began 
firing at each other when they were a mile apart, even though 
their shots could make no impression on the iron walls at 
which they were aiming. But the Oregon would not consider 
it a very great feat, in the quiet waters of Hampton Roads, 
to turn one of her big thirteen-inch guns on a target like the 
Merrimac at a distance of three miles, and expect to hit her 
with nearly every shot. She has four of these thirteen-inch 
guns, and one of them can be loaded, aimed, and fired about 
every three and a half to four minutes. All four of these guns 
can be swungf to 
either broadside 
at the same time; 
hence one of 
these thirteen- 
inch shells can 
be thrown from 
her four guns 
combined on an average of one a minute. These shells, 
weighing eleven hundred pounds, are thrown with five hundred 
fifty pounds of powder; and instead of one of them bounding 
from the sides of the Merrimac, it would crash through such 
a vessel from side to side, or from end to end, for that matter, 
and still have force enough left to drive through two or three 
more such craft. The striking energy of a thirteen-inch shell 
as it leaves the muzzle of the gun is thirty-three thousand six 
hundred twenty-seven foot-tons. That is to say, if its force was 
gradually applied, it would lift that number of tons one foot 
high — a sufficient force to lift the cruiser Vizcaya (several 
times heavier than was the Merrimac) four feet into the air. 
These facts show that a battle-ship like the Oregon could 
have kept completely out of the range of the Merrimac s and 




Marine gun on deck of ship. 



230 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 




The Maxim auto- 
matic machine gun; 
fires 700 rifle bullets a minute. 



the Monitors guns while she easily broke the vessels to pieces 
with her thirteen-inch shells. But, in addition to thirteen-inch 

guns, battle-ships of the Oregon 
class carry eight eight-inch guns, 
four six-inch guns, twenty six- 
pounders, and six one-pounders, 
besides several Gatlings 
or some other type of the 
machine gun. Eight-inch 
guns are now built that are fired 
four times in sixty-two seconds, 
practically once every fifteen sec- 
onds. The projectile weighs two 
hundred fifty pounds, and will 
perforate twenty-one inches of 
iron. It can be imagined how 
quickly a battery of these guns 
would have made a pepper-box 
of the Merrimac or Monitor, Then following the eight-inch 
are the six-inch guns, which are now built so that they can 
be fired six times in a minute. Their projectile weighs a 
hundred pounds, and will pierce fifteen inches of iron. But 
if none of these larger guns were used against a craft like 
the Merrimac or Monitor, the torrent of steel that could be 
thrown from the small machine guns would drive through every 
port-hole, and in a moment of time kill every man aboard. 

Thus we see how completely the last thirty-six years have 
revolutionized the weapons of war. When we consider the 
difference between the very best battle-ship of 1862 and one 
of the best ships of to-day, we see that no comparison can be 
made; and nothing has been said about the twelve to eighteen- 
inch steel armor with which the modern man-of-war is covered. 
The best guns of 1862 might fire indefinitely at such steel 
walls, and make no impression upon them. 



AND THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY 



231 




American.] 

hat fires a nine-pound shell every second. 



It is next to impossible to keep track of the improvements 
in the military and naval profession; for what may be truth- 
fully said to-day is likely to be entirely out of date to-morrow. 
But suppose we take one 
of the many battle-ships 
that are now building. 
The Harveyized steel 
plates, which a few months 
ago were considered the 
best for armor, must be 
replaced by the "Krupp- 
gas-process" plates, which 
are such an improvement icounesy <* s«v**>fc 

1 The machine gun t 

over the Harvey plates 
that armor ten and eleven inches thick has all the power of 
resistance possessed by the fifteen-inch to eighteen-inch Harvey 
armor. This allows a vessel to be built with all the strength 
and resistance of the Oregon or the Massachusetts, and yet by 
thus lightening her armor her coal supply may be so increased 
that she can keep at sea much longer. This very latest battle- 
ship would have four of the monster thirteen-inch guns already 
described. She would also have eight eight- inch and six six- 
inch quick-fire cannon, the effectiveness and the rapidity of 

action of which have already 
been mentioned. Then she 
would have among her smaller 
guns some four-inch cannon 
firing fifteen thirty-three-pound 
shells a minute, and such ma- 
chine pieces as the Maxim 
nine-pounder, that fires sixty 
of such missiles per minute — 
one every second. She would have some six-pounder auto- 
matics, firing one hundred fifty shots per minute; also some 




The French quick-fire field gun. 



232 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



of the one-pounders firing three hundred shells a minute, and 
then the military masts and other convenient parts in this most 
modern battle-ship would have a proper supply of the regu- 
lation machine guns, firing from six hundred to twelve hundred 
of the common infantry rifle-bullets per minute. 

Such a modern ship, of course, would have a well fortified 
base of supplies. These fortifications would be built after the 




[Courtesy of Scientific American.} 

Rafferty Range Finder. — Gun detachment working out range, distance, and direction of the enemy. 

most approved plans of modern times; and in addition to the 
small machine guns, and the rapid-fire cannon already described, 
some of the eight-inch and thirteen-inch guns would be mounted 
on disappearing carriages. These carriages enable the gunner 
to load his piece, take his aim, and fire from behind the 
embankments, without being exposed to the direct fire of the 
enemy. In this modern fort would also be several batteries 
of up-to-date mortars. The harbor that the mortars protect 



AND THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY 



*33 




[Courtesy of Scientific American.'] 

Mortar elevated for firing. 



is all diagrammed ; and by careful practise and cal- 
culation, it is possible to drop a shell in any 
section where a hostile ship is 
located. The mortar battery is 
out of sight behind the impene- 
trable embankments, and its 
action is wholly directed by tele- 
phone by the commander, who is 
on some eminence of observation 
out of danger from the enemy's 
guns. This fort would also be 
supplied with one or more sixteen-inch breech-loading cannon. 
The latest and biggest gun of this type is a few inches less 
than fifty feet in length, and weighs one hundred forty tons. 
The powder chamber is over one and a half feet in diameter 
and about nine feet long. The shell weighs two thousand 
three hundred seventy pounds, and the powder charge is one 
thousand sixty pounds. The shell will leave the muzzle with 
a velocity of two thousand feet per second and an energy of 
sixty-four thousand eighty-four foot-tons; or, in other words, 
the power behind this big 
shell as it leaves the cannon 
would lift sixty-four of the 
biggest freight 
locomotives ten 
feet into the air. 
At a distance of 
two miles this 
shell would pass J^' , ; 
through twenty-, 
seven and one- 
half inches of 
steel. See the 

aCCOmpa n y 1 ng 0ne sect j on f a mo rtar battery in action. 




234 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



diagram, which shows the actual penetration of a shot fired 
from one of these guns. 

This modern fort would also have several of the big six- 
inch, eight-inch, ten-inch, and fifteen-inch pneumatic dynamite 
guns. The six-inch dynamite gun throws a two hundred forty 




Actual penetration of a trial shot from a 16^-inch, no-ton gun. The missile passed through 20 
inches compound plate, 8 inches wrought iron, 20 feet oak timbers, 5 feet granite, 11 feet concrete, and 
buried itself 6 feet in a brick wall. 

pound shell, charged with fifty pounds of one of the modern 
high explosives, to a distance of six thousand yards; the eight- 
inch gun throws a three hundred forty pound shell, charged 
with one hundred pounds of high explosive, to a distance of 
five thousand yards; the ten-inch gun throws a five hundred 
pound shell, charged with two hundred pounds of high explo- 
sive, to a distance of four thousand four hundred yards; and 
the fifteen-inch gun throws a one thousand pound shell, charged 
with five hundred pounds of high explosive, to a distance of 

two thousand four 
hundred yards, 
while the same gun 
throws a two hun- 
dred forty pound 
shell six thousand 
yards. There are 
three separate fuses 
attached to these 
dynamite shells to accomplish their explosion ; one in the head, 
which acts on immersion; one in the base, which acts when a 
solid substance is hit; and the third explodes the shell after 




[Courtesy of Scientific American ] 

A piece of 16-inch armor plate, showing effect of modern cannon. 



AND THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY 



2-XK 



sinking to the bottom, in case the immersion fuse should 
happen to fail. 

The Scientific American Supplement says: — 
"In the official test of the three fifteen-inch guns near 
Fort Winfield Scott, San Francisco, it was required that 
thirty-four per cent of hits should fall within a rectangle 
measuring three hundred sixty feet by ninety feet, at a range 
of five thousand thirty yards. In the actual test seventy-five 




(Courtesy of Scientific American. \ 
ALL-STEEL. 



NICKEL-STEEL. 

Results of armor-plate tests. 



COMPOUND. 



per cent of the shots fell within this rectangle, and a rect- 
angle of two hundred ten by one hundred fifty-six feet would 
have contained them all. 

"This test was made with shells charged with one hundred 
pounds of explosive, the composition of which was: Nitro- 
glycerine, eighty-seven per cent; guncotton, seven per cent; 
camphor, four per cent ; carbonate of magnesia, two per cent. 

"In the same test, two shells of this size were fired from 
different guns at a hillside three, thousand seven hundred yards 

15 



236 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



distant across the harbor entrance. They struck sixty-one feet 
apart. The craters formed in the soft red rock by the explo- 
sions were bowl-shaped, one being twenty feet in diameter by 
four feet deep, and the other thirty feet in diameter by six 
feet deep." 




Sighting with the Dudley pneumatic dynamite gun. 

The reader understands, of course, that the shell is thrown 
from these dynamite guns by the force of compressed air, so as 
not to give such a sudden shock as to explode them in the gun 
from which they are fired. What would be the effect of the 
bursting of one of these shells on the deck of a ship or any- 
where near it in the water! 

Now, it would not be making a wild conjecture at all to say 
that if all the navies of every nation in all the world, covering 
every moment of the earth's history down to March 9, 1862, 
when the Merrimac and the Monitor fought their duel, could 
all be resurrected, together with all their great commanders and 
valiant marines, and all gathered into one place, a single battle- 
ship, with all the latest and best improvements, would have no 
fears nor run any great risks in meeting them alone and single- 
handed. 

The modern battle-ship would have her base of supplies 
protected by all of these great and destructive modern weap- 
ons; and she would steam out fearlessly into the wilderness 



AND THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY 



237 



of sails and masts, of schooners, and galleys, and sloops, and 
frigates. She would not fear their guns; for if she chose, she 
could keep out of their reach all the time, while she broke 
the fragile hulls of their vessels to pieces with her ponderous 
shells. Perhaps she would not use a thirteen-inch gun except 
when she had from a dozen to forty or fifty of her enemy's 
vessels in line at short range, and could pierce them all at once. 
It would be futile to try to mass a great force against her, and 
board her, overpowering her men and capturing her in that 
way; for her machine guns would mow down the enemy faster 
than they could approach her. Then if they should by some 
chance gather about her in such overwhelming numbers that 
there would be danger of her being boarded, her powerful 
engines would drive her through the water so fast that her 
enemies would soon be left far behind; and any vessels that 
chanced to be in her track would be cut in two like the foam of 




[Courtesy of Scientific American. \ 



The 15-inch pneumatic dynamite gun. 



the sea. In a word, let it be said that the wildest and most 
fanciful nursery tales that the lowest depths of superstition, 
combined with the highest flights of imagination, have produced, 
would not be equal to the thrilling facts, if a thoroughly modern 



23% 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



battle-ship could enter the conflict with anything and every- 
thing that the naval world produced previous to 1862. What 
does it all mean? Have you ever thought about it? 

Perhaps mention should be made of the fact that these 
modern rapid-fire and machine guns were called out by the 
necessity of finding something that would destroy the torpedo- 
boats. One of the earliest attempts to use the torpedo-boat 
occurred in the Civil War of the United States. All the nations 
immediately took 
to experimenting 
with this form of 
craft, and soon 
they had a boat 
that would run as 
high as thirty to 
thirty-three knots 
an hour. The tor- 
pedo was also im- 
proved, until it 
could be sent 
straight ahead un- 
der its own electric 
power for a thou- 
sand yards at the speed of thirty-one knots, and it carries 
from one hundred to two hundred pounds of guncotton with 
which to blow up the object at which it is aimed. While these 
terrible instruments have been in process of development, the 
rapid-fire and machine guns have been invented and perfected 
for the purpose of destroying them and the boats that carry 
them. How successfully this has been accomplished was de- 
monstrated by the inability of any torpedo-boat to get within 
striking distance of the American fleets in the war with Spain. 

The slow-burning, smokeless powder has been one of the 
most important factors in the development of these powerful 




Some grains of slow-burning powder. Nos. I, 3 and 5 show the 
powder before it is burnt, and 2, 4 and 6 after. 



AND THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY 239 

modern guns. This powder, as shown in the illustration, does 
not explode all at once, but begins to burn through the holes in 
the center; and the longer it burns, the greater is the surface 
that is exposed, thereby increasing the power as the projectile 
travels through the barrel of the gun. Thus it will be seen 
that in these newly-devised weapons a mass of powder is not 
ignited all at once, to make a great bursting force on the gun 
itself, but the projectile is started with a sort of pushing move- 
ment that continues to increase all the time it is traveling from 
the breech to the mouth of the cannon. With this slow-burning 
powder it has been possible greatly to increase the length of 
the gun, while the diameter is not so great by any means as it 
would have to be with the old-fashioned powder. 

But it may be safely said that experiments with slow-burning 
powder are only in their infancy. There can be no forecasting 
what may be done with it in the immediate future. Mr. 
Hudson Maxim, brother to Hiram Maxim, the inventor of 
the wonderful machine guns that bear his name, has done as 
much as any one to develop slow-burning powder, together with 
the various high explosives. He offers a plan of a gun that, 
by using this kind of powder, will throw a shell charged with 
half a ton of guncotton about nine miles, and one charged with 
a ton five miles. This powerful charge will explode where it 
strikes, no matter whether that be on a ship's deck, in the 
water, or on the land. Half a ton of guncotton exploded 
within eighty-five feet of the strongest battle-ship would destroy 
it, and a ton would be fatal to it if exploded within one hundred 
sixty-eight feet, while if he is successful in making his gun 
throw shells charged with a ton of nitrogelatine, he would 
destroy a battle-ship if the shell struck within two hundred fifty 
feet of it. Mr. Maxim calls these frightful missiles aerial tor- 
pedoes, and his weapon an aerial torpedo-gun. The best 
scientific men and journals consider his project feasible, and 
that sooner or later he will be successful in perfecting it. 



240 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



It has already been stated that one modern battle-ship 
might successfully combat the combined navies of all time 
previous to 1862; and it would not be chimerical or an out- 
break of fancy to say that were any one of the great nations 






x 




Blowing up of the 
Maine. 



of to-day equipped with magazine breech-loading rifles, machine 
guns, small rapid-fire cannon, dynamite guns, etc., and the 
Pharaohs, and Nebuchadnezzar, and Cyrus, and Alexander, 
and Hannibal, and the Scipios, and Caesars, and Cromwell, 
and Napoleon, and Grant, and Sherman, and Lee, and all 
the rest of the great military leaders of all time previous to 
1862, could bring all their armies into the field, armed as each 
one fought in his day, they would be mowed down by these 
modern engines of death before they could possibly get close 
enough to strike any very telling blows. This sounds like 
fiction, but how literally it is fact instead! Is it not truly 
significant? Does it not show a wonderful transformation? 
What does it mean ? 



AND THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY 



241 



At the siege of Baza, 1325, the Saracens are said to have 
had some rude cannon in which powder was used. There is 
evidence that gunpowder was known and used in very much 
remoter times ; but it was not materially improved in its power 
and effectiveness until within the last quarter of the nineteenth 
century. During these recent years, however, not only is the 
powerful " slow-burning" powder devised, but other explosives 
are invented that are much more terrific than the simple pow- 
der. General Nelson A. Miles says truly, "There never was a 
time in the whole history of the world when so much ingenuity, 
wealth, and skill were employed in the invention and construc- 
tion of the appliances of war." Why is this intense activity, 
and this advancement in the realm of war, all stirred up in 
one generation? 

While God has prepared most marvelous agencies for 
carrying His 
Gospel to all 
the world, 
Satan will per- 
vert the great 
railway and 
steamship fa- 
cilities into 
a means of 
speedily gath- 
ering the im- 
mense armies 
of earth to 
"the battle of 

that great day." A hundred years ago armies had to be 
marched from place to place, or carried, when possible, by 
the old sailboat. How slow do these methods seem when 
compared with the steamship and railway facilities of to-day 
for mobilizing large armies! When the time is reached for 




Battle-ship Maine after explosion. 



242 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



God to withdraw His restraint, how quickly can all the armies 
of the world be gathered to Armageddon! 

Some are gathering an unwarranted consolation from the 
idea that these weapons of modern warfare are becoming so 
fearful in their destructiveness that men will be afraid to engage 
each other in battle. Never was there a greater delusion. 
Soldiers are trained to war, and when ordered to charge the 
enemy they do it regardless of consequences. They expect 




[Courtesy of Scientific American.] 

Ten-inch breech-loading rifle being fired from a disappearing carriage. 
[From an instantaneous photograph.] 

to be killed, in all probability, and they face death with deter- 
mination. This is the history of the soldier during all time, 
and the wars of to-day serve to demonstrate that the soldier 
of to-day will face the weapons of to-day as valiantly as men 
of former centuries faced their enemies who were armed with 
nothing more formidable than swords and spears. Indeed it 
will be seen as the conflict deepens in these last days that there 



AND THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY 



243 



will be an intensity and ferocity in battle that is as much 
greater than anything of former times as the military weapons 
of these days outstrip those of the ancients. The spirit of 
violence, which as we have already seen is to characterize 
these days, will take possession of the soldier, as well as every 
one else who will yield to it, and he will be driven onto the 
field of battle with all the furies that can be engendered by 
the demons of war. 

In speaking of "Courage in Modern Warfare," the Scien- 
tific American says of the war between Spain and the United 
States : — 

"The present conflict has proved that the theorists were 
altogether wrong — at 
least so far as they 
discounted the value 
of the personal equa- 
tion. Daring, dog- 
ged endurance, in- 
domitable pluck, 
forehanded aggres- 
siveness, self-posses- 
sion in the critical 
moment — all the qualities, indeed, that went to make the ideal 
soldier in the days of the three-deckers and the muzzle-loading 
rifle, are as much a decisive factor now as then. " 

England carried into South Africa the most highly per- 
fected weapons of these days, but the Boers faced them with 
bravery and courage — and, on the other hand, the Boers were 
armed with modern weapons, and thousands of the homes of 
Britons give silent evidence to the courage of their troops 
in the face of high-power cannon and the murderous rain of 
machine guns. In her war with Russia, whole battalions of the 
Japanese army, including officers and men, were mown down 
like grass, but still they charged again and again. 




Eight-inch gun mounted on Babbington-Crozier disap- 
pearing carriage, lowered and ready for aiming. 



244 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

Pride of nationality and the ambition to achieve renown 
on the field of battle always have been and always will be 
sufficient incentives to drive men into the face of death, even 
when it seems almost certain that no one will come out alive. 
But, notwithstanding this courage that has never yet been 
wanting in soldiers, there is a feeling of dread in the hearts 
of men at the contemplation of the fearful slaughter that will 
be made in the next great wars. 

The support and equipment of these great armies and 
navies are taxing the resources of the nations to the utmost; 
and this tax must ever become more and more burdensome, 
until the final crash is reached; for the expensive navies and 
their equipments that were thoroughly up to date five years 
ago are now so far behind that they have to be almost built 
over anew ; and the equipments of the soldier that were the 
very best five years ago have to give place to more modern 
weapons instead. In this mad military race each country is 
anxious to keep abreast of the times ; but, while they supply 
the most perfect facilities to-day, there is no assurance that 
the papers to-morrow will not announce some new weapon 
that will render useless all the previous great expense incurred 
for the munitions of war. 

A few statements from leading military men and statesmen 
will be both interesting and instructive in showing how they 
view the war situation at this time. General Nelson A. Miles, 
commander of the United States Army, after his inspection 
of the armies of the Old World, said : — 

" I have seen all the great armies of Europe except the 
Spanish army. What I have seen does not indicate that the 
millennium is at hand, when swords will be beaten into plow- 
shares? "There are two impressions entertained by many 
of our people that, in my opinion, are not well founded, even 
if they can not be regarded as illusions ; and they are certainly 
entitled to full and impartial consideration. One is that we 



AND THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY 245 

have reached the millennium, that the world has become suffi- 
ciently enlightened to abhor war, and to settle all its national 
and international affairs on intelligent and humane principles. 
What facts warrant such a pleasing sentiment, belief, or hope ? 
The heralds of time that record the passing years and months 
record also national strife and wars in some part of the world. 
There never was a time in the whole history of the world when 
so much ingenuity, wealth, and skill were employed in the 
invention and construction of appliances of war." 

The great German military leader, Von Moltke, in describing 
the war struggles and preparations of recent years, wrote thus: — 

" Generally speaking, it is no longer the ambition of mon- 
archs which endangers peace, but the impulses of a nation, 
its dissatisfaction with its internal conditions, the strife of 
parties, and the intrigues of their leaders. The great wars 
of recent times have been declared against the wish and will 
of the reigning powers. To-day the question is not so much 
whether the nation is strong enough to make war as whether 
its government is powerful enough to prevent war." 

At the beginning of 1896 Mr. Franklin Matthews wrote 
the following, and his statements are striking even to-day: — 

"The new year opened with the long roll in the armed 
camps of Europe. It sounded also through the United States, 
and its echoes reverberated against the mountains and in the 
valleys of Venezuela and every other country on the American 
continent. The clash of arms was heard in Southern Africa, 
and the eyes of every nation were fixed intently on Great 
Britain. Armenia and its horrors were forgotten. Would 
England fight? The great, proud, and boastful England was 
face to face with as great a crisis as any nation in modern 
times has ever met. She was alone, and the war-dogs of 
every other country were almost eager to jump at her throat. 
Her people had sung, 'Britannia Rules the Waves,' until the 
nation had almost felt herself invincible. 



246 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



"The United States early 111 December challenged this 
haughty spirit. England's mock heroics and suppressed laugh- 
ter at the audacity of this country were soon changed to aston- 
ishment at the serious situation; and then it was seen that no 
nation, England especially, could afford to engage in conflict 
with this country. Then Germany, apparently with no other 
purpose than to humiliate the greatest commercial nation on 
the globe, practically threw down the gauge of battle by an 
announcement that England must give up her protectorate of 
the Transvaal Republic. The English people, outraged by what 
they deemed an insult, and maddened almost to desperation^ 
simply waited for a single hostile move on the part of Germany's 
emperor to touch a match to her guns, and let the havoc of 
probably such a war as the world never saw run through Europe. 

"Then it was that the long roll sounded. Russia set her 
eyes toward Constantinople, France set hers toward Egypt, 
Germany set hers toward England's colonies, and the sultan 
trembled aeain when he realized that the Armenian atrocities 
had not been forgotten. 

"Every war office 
in Europe went over 
its plans of strategy. 
Every plan of mobiliza- 
tion was scrutinized. 
Every nation took ac- 
count of its stock, of its 
munitions of war, and 
of its financial strength. 
The nervous strain of 
keeping the peace, with 
millions of soldiers 
ready to fight at any time, seemed to be exhausted, and the 
people began to ask if it were possible to prevent the flames 
of international jealousy and hate from bursting forth into 




On a Chinese war-ship. — Battle of the Yalu. 



AND THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY 



247 




Japanese sailors 
working a rapid- 
fire gun. 



strife, with practical anarchy and chaos as the price to be 
paid for it." 

Mr. William E. H. Lecky says in regard to the growth 
of expenditures for war 
purposes in England, 
"Between 1835 an ^ 1888 
it is said to have increased 
by no less than one hun- 
dred seventy-three per 
cent." And in regard 
to the great armies of 
Europe he further says: — 

"With the present 
gigantic armies, wars have, no doubt, become less frequent, 
though they have become incomparably more terrible ; but can 
any one seriously contend that the unrestrained and reckless 
military competition of the last few years has given Europe 
any real security, or that either the animosities or the aspira- 
tions that threaten it have gone down? Are its statesmen 
confident that an ambitious monarch, or a propitious moment, 
or an alliance, or an invention that materially changes the 
balance of forces, or some transient outburst of national irrita- 
tion injudiciously treated, might not at any moment set it once 
more in a blaze? To strew gunpowder on all sides may, no 
doubt, produce caution, but it is not the best way of preventing an 
explosion!' — Democracy and Liberty, vol. 1, pp. jo6, J12, jij. 

As long ago as May, 1894, the -Review of Reviews said 
the following concerning Europe's costly armaments: "The 
European nations are beginning to droop and totter beneath 
the ever-accumulating burden of military expenditure. There 
is hardly a country among them that is not at the present time 
struggling desperately to choke the deficit which is staring it 
in the face. In England Sir William Harcourt was ^5,000,- 
000 short, which must be provided for by new taxation. The 



248 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

Indian Empire is proposing to tax all imports except cotton 
five per cent ad valorem to meet its deficit, besides adopting 
other expedients unpopular but necessary. In France there is 
a deficit of nearly $30,000,000, about half of which it is pro- 
posed to cover by a refunding of loans at a lower rate of 
interest, and the remaining half is to be obtained by increased 
taxation on incomes and spirits, with taxes on succession duties. 
In Italy the new finance minister frankly admits the existence 
of a deficit of about $50,000,000, to be met, no one knows 
how. The country can not bear increased taxation, and the 
chances of any minister who ventured to propose retrench- 
ment and the disbanding of surplus employees would be prac- 
tically worthless. Everywhere the statesmen are seeking with 
feverish anxiety for new sources of revenue, but everywhere the 
insatiable maw of ai r maments demands more and more millions!' 

Is it any surprise that such unparalleled preparations for 
war should have caused the Marquis of Salisbury to state: — 

" What would you say is the great change that has passed 
over Europe since the older of us were young men? — It is 
this tremendous increase in the burdens which the necessity 
of self-defense has cast upon every nation of the world. That 
burden goes on getting higher and higher; a larger and larger 
part of the population is devoted to military service; more and 
more money has to be spent in the provision of mechanical 
apparatus of war; and as the conquests of science are extended, 
not only are all previous efforts determined to be obsolete, and 
have to be thrown away, and something new introduced in 
their place, but a larger and larger proportion of public wealth 
has to be devoted to this unremunerative purpose. 

' ' The burden has become so serious to many nations that 
many have thought that the day will come when nations will 
rather rush into war and provoke a decision once for all, than 
to continue to groan under the suffering which modern neces- 
sity forces upon them." 



AND THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY 249 

In a later speech he further said upon this subject: — - 
"We have had an invitation from his imperial majesty the 
emperor of Russia, to attend a congress for the disarmament 
of the nations. I offer a most hearty tribute to the motive 
by which that invitation has been dictated. I admire the char- 
acter which can have produced if; and as far as assistance and 
sympathy from us can help him in the task he has under- 
taken, that assistance and sympathy are entirely at his dis- 
posal. But while we earnestly concur with him in his views 
and desires, we may be permitted to think that until the happy 
days have arrived when his aspirations are crowned with suc- 
cess, we must still have regard to the dangers that surround 
us, and provide the precautions which are necessary. [Cheers.] 
In some respects the era of this great proposition, which I 
think will be an epoch in the history of men — the era of this 
great proposition has been marked by unhappy omens. It is the 
first year in which the mighty force of the American Republic 
has been introduced among the nations, whose dominion is 
expanding and whose instruments, to a certain extent, are war. 
I am not implying the slightest blame — far from it — I am not 
refusing sympathy to the American Republic in the difficulties 
through which they have passed; but no one can deny that 
their appearance among the factors of Asiatic, at all events, 
and possibly of European diplomacy, is a grave and serious 
event, which may not conduce to the interests of peace, though 
I think that in any event it is likely to conduce to the inter- 
ests of Great Britain. [Hear! Hear!] 

"But what has been pressed upon us is that the subject mat- 
ter of war is terribly prevalent on all sides. You see nations 
who are decaying, or whose government is so bad that they 
can neither maintain the power of self-defense nor the affec- 
tions of their subjects. You see this on all sides, and you also 
see that when the phenomenon takes place there are always 
neighbors who are impelled by some motive or other — it may 



25O HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

be from the highest philanthropy, it may be from the natural 
desire of empire — are always inclined and disposed to contest 
with each other as to who shall be the heir to the nation 
which is falling away from its old position. And that is the 
cause of war. Still more serious is the consideration which 
recent events have forced upon us that these wars come upon us 
absolutely unannounced and with terrible rapidity. The war- 
cloud rises in the horizon with a rapidity that obviates all 
calculation, and, it may be, a month or two months after the 
first warning you receive you find you are engaged in or in 
prospect of a war on which your very existence is staked. 

"Let us remember we are a great colonial and maritime 
power. There have been great colonial and maritime powers, 
four or five, but they have always fallen, because they had a 
land frontier by which their enemies could approach, and by 
which their metropolis could be struck. We have no such 
land frontier; but if we ever allow our defenses at sea to fall 
to such a point of inefficiency that it is as easy, or nearly as 
easy, to cross the sea as it is to cross a land frontier, our 
great empire, stretching to the ends of the earth, supported by 
maritime force in every part of it, will come clattering to the 
ground when a blow at the metropolis in England is struck. 
Our whole existence, not only our whole prosperity, but the 
whole fabric by which our millions are nourished and sus- 
tained — they all depend on our being able to defend our own 
shores against attack, and that ability depends on our power 
at any moment of summoning to our aid a maritime force far 
larger than any opponent can bring to bear against us. If you 
will think out these ideas, you will see why we can not admit 
that in the present state and temper of the world we can inter- 
mit our naval and military precautions. They 7nust be kept 
constantly on foot!' 

All the foregoing statements are representative. They are 
just such statements as the papers and magazines are full of 






c 


o 




ri 


pq 












u 




<L> 


_c 
















< 




CD 


— 


Tl 


0\ 


H 


OJ 




- 



t— <L> 



D 



O 
CD 
< 

z 
< 

CO 

li. 
o 

III 

-J 

V- 
V- 

< 

CO 
ILJ 

r 
v- 



in 

Ji (Li 



°3 



AND THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY 253 

all the time. And this war spirit is ever growing more and 
more intense. 

"Four years ago it was possible to speak of the far eastern 
question as a problem reserved for our children. Indeed, even 
at a later date Lord Roseberry's eye detected it only as a 
shadow lurking 'in the dim vistas of futurity.' To-day, how- 
ever, the question is already definitely posed, and the most 
sanguine of statesmen will not refuse to recognize that it has 
introduced a new peril into the field of international politics." — 
Fortnightly Review, February, i8g8, p. 321. 

There is no more significant sign of our times than the 
fact that the recent war with Spain has involved the United 
States in complications that will from this time on keep her 
entangled in this "far eastern question." This country is now 
not only one of the great powers, but one among the contend- 
ing nations. Hereafter when European powers are quarreling, 
the United States can not be an idle looker-on. Thus has 
the war disease spread until every nation is in the throes of 
its delirious fever. 

The year 1898 revolutionized the sentiment of the United 
States upon this subject. From being a nation that proposed 
to remain in its isolation and freedom from the constant broils 
of the Old World, it suddenly makes a right-about-face. Nearly 
a quarter of a million men were called to arms to fight Spain, 
and from the minister in the pulpit to the urchin in the street 
the war spirit was applauded, and all the country was aflame 
with the excitement. The school-children proposed to build a 
battle-ship ; the little boys had their clothes trimmed like 
those of the soldier and marine; and popular orators dwelt 
upon the expanding destinies of the Great Republic; and the 
people have been educated to the position where they love 
to have it so. 

The foregoing statements and quotations from leading men 
of national and international reputation are not designed to be 

16 



254 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

exhaustive, neither has it been the aim of the author to get 
the most recent or the most striking utterances. The aim has 
been to get representative statements, and to present existing 
facts in such a way that it may be clearly seen that the 
conditions of this time are a striking and literal fulfilment of 
the predictions of Him who can read the future as we read 
history. 

More need not be said to show that the military spirit is 
one of the ruling passions of the age. And when we note 
the terribly destructive implements that have been devised, 
how vivid and impressive are the words of the prophet as he 
views these scenes and describes these times! He says: "My 
bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart 
maketh a noise in me; I can not hold my peace, because 
thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the 
alarm of war. Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the 
whole land is spoiled; suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my 
curtains in a moment." Jer. 4: 19, 20. 

What burning emotions must have been surging in the 
mind of Jeremiah when he exclaimed, "I can not hold my 
peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the 
trumpet, the alarm of war"! The terrible scenes of the "battle 
of that great day" were passing before his vision. He hears 
the "alarm of war;" the awful weapons that, under the insane 
fury of demons, have been forged against the day of Arma- 
geddon, are doing their terrible work; city after city is demol- 
ished under the frightful hammering of shot and shell; ship 
after ship goes down with dead-strewn decks; regiment after 
regiment is mowed down by the swift scythe of the war- 
god; the earth is burdened with its dead; the homes of the 
people are in desolation; and sorrow is on every hand. It 
is the sight of these things that stirs every emotion of the 
prophet's soul, 

How impressively must the very scenes of war preparation 



AND THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY 255 

in which we now dwell, have been caused to pass before the 
prophet Joel when he wrote : " Proclaim ye this among the 
nations: Prepare war; stir up the mighty men; let all the 
men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares 
into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears ; let the weak 
say, I am strong. Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round 
about, and gather yourselves together ; thither cause Thy mighty 
ones to come down, O Lord. Let the nations bestir them- 
selves, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat ; for there 
will I sit to judge all the nations round about. Put ye in 
the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, tread ye; for the 
winepress is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is 
great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! for 
the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision." Joel 
3: 9-14, R. V. 

Also please read again the following scriptures, and listen to 
the Spirit of God as He impresses them upon the conscience : 
"And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and 
the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that 
Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the prophets, 
and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and 
great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth." 
Rev. 11: 18. "I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come 
out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the 
beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they 
are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth 
unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather 
them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." 
Rev. 16: 13, 14. 

Who can read these clear words of God, and not be deeply 
impressed that they are now having a most literal fulfilment? 
Listen, I entreat you, to the voice of God speaking to the 
soul by His Spirit through His Word. Do not heed those 
who in this time of peril are saying, "Peace and safety," who 



256 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

are asserting that this world is about to join in a universal 
peace. Even amid the din of these last-day preparations for 
war, the voice that falsely assures peace will be raised higher 
and higher. But mark that the Word of God forewarns us 
in clear and positive language: "When they shall say, Peace 
and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as 
travail upon a woman with child ; and they shall not escape. 
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should 
overtake you as a thief." 1 Thess. 5:3, 4. 

It may be possible, if one sets out to look for them, to 
find human interpretations and speculations that will apparently 
set aside these plain words of Jehovah. But you are urgently 
invited to consider the interpretation that the Spirit of God 
is impressing upon your conscience as you read the foregoing 
scriptures and compare them with the things that you see in 
the world to-day. It is the interpretation that God's Spirit 
places upon God's own Word that you will have to meet in 
the judgment. 

It is an indisputable fact that as we read the words of the 
Lord an unseen messenger is continually whispering conviction, 
away down deep in that inner consciousness that no human 
mind can penetrate, and where God alone can enter. Under 
the spell of unbelief you may deny this, yet even while making 
your denial the voice keeps on with its sweet, and tender, 
and refined, and quiet entreaties. This very whispering of 
your Heavenly Father, as He emphasizes and impresses the 
import of His words upon the very depths of your conscience, 
is the evidence that He entreats you to consider. We can 
not turn away from these tender pleadings, these most faithful 
warnings, without bringing upon ourselves the most terrible 
consequences. 

Note with clearness that this voice must come to you in 
and through the very words of the Bible. Impressions that 
come in any other way may be the insinuations of the enemy 



AND THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY 



57 



of truth ; but this enemy can not use the Bible in his work. 
God alone can speak through it. He has arranged it this way 
so that, even though we stand in the presence of a full realiza- 
tion of all the issues of eternity, yet may we hold the joys 
of that abiding security that can be found only in resting 
upon the solid foundations of Omnipotence. 

It is because the world is to-day facing the conditions that 
will drive it in a very little while upon that terrible and final 
battle-field of Armageddon that it is so earnestly hoped and 
urged that God's Word may have a chance to do for you 
the work that He designs it should. There is no question 
about the clearness of the scripture prophecy. The only uncer- 
tainty lies in the matter of the heed that will be given to these 
plain words. 









CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE 



NOTWITHSTANDING the war fever that is in the 
world to stir up the marshaling of these great armies 
and navies, and cause their equipment with these mod- 
ern munitions of war, a general crash among the nations 
has so far been averted. But let no one be calmed by the 
thought that the war spirit, having been held back from serious 
outbreaks thus far, the general onslaught therefore may never 
come. There is a mighty hand holding the forces of evil in 
check, until "this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in 
all the world." Every one must have the opportunity to hear 
the message of salvation, and until this work is accomplished 
the Lord will hold back the demons of war so that they can 
not precipitate the world-wide strife. In assurance of this we 
have the following words of the prophet: — 

"And after these things I saw four angels standing on the 
four corners of the earth, holding the four winds [strife, war, 
commotion] of the earth, that the wind should not blow on 
the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw 
another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the 
living God; and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, 
to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, 
Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have 

sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." Rev. 7:1-3. 

258 



DIVINE RESTRAINT OF THE SPIRIT OF WAR 259 

"Wind" and "winds," in these symbolic prophecies, denote 
war and strife, and this scripture not only gives added evidence 
of the warlike condition of the world at the close of time, but 
also informs us that these "winds," or "wars," are held by 
the mighty angel of God till His w T ork is accomplished of 
seeking out and "sealing" those who will accept Him. 

In doing this work of holding the "winds" of war the 
Lord makes use of many agencies. He has many men every- 
where whose whole being revolts at the atrocities, the cruelties, 
and the brutalities of war. It is wonderful how they have 
filled the world with diplomats that have been so successful 
in bringing about "peace congresses," and creating peace sen- 
timent that often holds rulers by the sheer force of shame from 
involving their dominions in war. These disciples of peace, 
whether found among men who have charge of the diplomatic 
affairs of state or in the realm of the pulpit or the press, 
must be sustained in their heaven-appointed work. 

We must not, however, make the mistake of confusing 
those who are thus working for the peace of the world with 
that other class, who, without any reason, are telling us that 
there is no danger; who are saying that any one is a pessimist 
who points out with distinctness the facts concerning the war- 
threat that hangs over our world. The individual who is intel- 
ligently working to hold the world in the embraces of peace 
recognizes what a difficult task it is. He clearly sees the dan- 
gers that threaten us ; and seeing these dangers, he works with 
devotion, because of his love of mercy and hatred of brutality, 
to save his fellow-men from the horrors of war. 

When we take a careful view of the occurrences of recent 
times, it is clearly apparent that some unseen force is holding 
back the war dogs, that they may not be turned loose upon 
the world. The news will come to us one day that all Europe 
is on the verge of war. Statesmen will gravely say that they 
do not see how it can be averted; but in a little while it is 



260 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

all hushed. Then in a few days or a few weeks there will 
come the rumors that the Orient is all astir, and affairs in 
China must be settled on the battle-field. This, too, will be 
gravely discussed for a brief space, only to subside and amount 
to nothing serious. In another brief space things in South 
America, or in some other part of the globe, will create a great 
commotion, and all the nations will review their resources of 
army and navy to see what they can do in case of a world's 
conflict. But here again God has men of strong mind and 
purpose, and of great skill and power, and the torrents of blood 
are not allowed to flow. On other occasions war will actually 
break out, and the great armies and navies will be put under 
motion, but in a little while all is calm again. Such things as 
this have not occurred in such a remarkable manner in by-gone 
ages. Particular note should be made of these things, for they 
are fulfilling prophecy. God is indeed fulfilling His promise 
to hold the "winds" of war and strife until, as His prophetic 
Word expresses it, "we have sealed the servants of our God 
in their foreheads." 

It is necessary to see all these things in their true prophetic 
light in order not to be deceived by any of the delusions and 
deceptive voices of this time. While listening to one of those 
who are saying "peace and safety" in this time when the whole 
world is on the verge of "sudden destruction," unless we are 
enlightened by the prophecies, it is easy for us to fall in with 
his siren words, and look upon the efforts for peace as a sure 
evidence that we are to have no more war. It is easy for 
us to be flattered by the thought that we of this day and age 
are too enlightened and too humane ever to go to war; but 
theories and facts do not always agree; and what we need to 
do is to learn to look at the facts. We can not truly and 
clearly see the facts concerning our own times unless we keep 
standing beneath the great search-light of prophecy so that 
the focused rays of this brilliant luminary may cause us to per- 



DIVINE RESTRAINT OF THE SPIRIT OF WAR 26 1 

ceive the true character of every shadow of darkness, through 
beholding the gems of all-pervading foreknowledge. When 
we see the facts in their true light, and understand their mean- 
ing, we know that all these symptoms that are mistaken for 
an evidence of a millennium of world-wide peace are nothing 
short of the indisputable evidence that God is fulfilling His 
prophetic promise to hold back the spirit of war till all can 
have a chance to hear and accept the "Gospel of the kingdom" 
that is being preached "in all the world for a witness unto all 
nations." 

Reader, does it not fill you with wonder and gratitude that 
the Father of all mercies is so mindful of vour eternal inter- 
ests? For, once these mighty engines of destruction are set 
in motion, where is the power of mind that would enable one 
to turn away from the terror of the horrible massacre to seek 
and find salvation? The Lord has promised, and His prom- 
ises are sure, to keep all who trust Him. By every means that 
divine and infinite love can suggest, He is inviting all to accept 
Him; and to as many as will receive Him the promise is: "He 
shall dwell on high; his place of defense shall be the munitions 
of rocks ; bread shall be given him ; his water shall be sure. 
Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty; they shall behold 
the land that is very far off." Isa. 33:16, 17. 

"In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: 
We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls 
and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation 
which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him 
in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee; because he 
trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever; for in the 
Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." Isa. 26:1-4. 

The dream of a universal peace can never be realized in 
this world while it is filled with wicked men; for "the wicked 
are like the troubled sea, when it can not rest, whose waters 
cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to 



262 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

the wicked." Isa. 57:20, 21. But of the Saviour, so soon 
to come in the clouds of heaven, the same prophet says: "The 
government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall 
be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The ever- 
lasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His 
government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne 
of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish 
it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. 
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will peform this." Chapter 
9:6, 7. And of the Prince of Peace the inspired poet says, 
in Ps. 72:2-7, R. V.: — 

"He shall judge Thy people with righteousness, 
And Thy poor with judgment. 
The mountains shall bring peace to the people, 
And the hills, in righteousness. 
He shall judge the poor of the people, 
He shall save the children of the needy, 
And shall break in pieces the oppressor. 
They shall fear Thee while the sun endureth, 
And so long as the moon, throughout all generations. 
He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: 
As showers that water the earth. 
In His days shall the righteous flourish; 
And abundance of peace, till the moon be no more." 

The day that is about to burst upon us will be filled with 
terrors for him who is unprepared for it; but for him who has 
been reading and heeding the warnings and admonitions of 
the Father in heaven, it will be the gladsome day of all the 
ages. Let each one ask himself, On which side am I standing? 
If on the wrong side, do not tarry, but hasten to accept the 
lingering mercy and salvation that are still offered. 

Who can say how soon the divine decree will cease to hold 
this angry strife in check? And when that day of universal 
and awful war comes, we must be under the protection of the 
Infinite to avoid being borne down beneath the furious charge 



DIVINE RESTRAINT OF THE SPIRIT OF WAR 



263 



of the angry nations of earth. In these fleeting days of proba- 
tionary time, each one should hasten to unite with the Saviour, 
not merely that he may be saved himself, but that he may be 
instrumental in guiding others to the shelter from the gathering 
storm. For let it be ever borne in mind that our God is 
calling for men to be soldiers indeed. While the demons of 
war are stirring men to become experts in spreading the deso- 
lations and sufferings of the battle-field, the Prince of Peace 
is also exerting His divine power to charm men with the 
entrancing and substantial joys that center in the eternity of 
bliss that His coming is about to bring to this world. 




THE VOICE OF 




CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR 



I 



N the Lord's great 
prophecy of H is sec- 
ond coming, as re- 
corded by Luke, He says: "And there shall be signs in the 
sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth 
distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves 
roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after 
those things which are coming on the earth; for the, powers of 
heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of 
man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." Luke 
21 : 25-27. 

Mark these further signs that the Lord has given by which 
we may know of His coming. Not only has He told us, as 
seen in preceding chapters, what the character of the people 
264 




will be in 

the last days, and of 
the anger of the na- 
tions, etc., but He 
proceeds to describe 

the condition of the very elements at the close of time, with a 
definiteness that would be impossible without a perfect fore- 
knowledge of these events. He says, "There shall be signs 
in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars;" also a " roaring" 
of the " sea and waves." There has always been a "roaring" 
to the "sea and waves." Hence when this prophecy is fulfilling, 
there will be storms by sea that will cause a commotion beyond 
anything seen before. And this very "roaring" of the elements 
will carry with it the unmistakable evidence and conviction that 
the day of judgment is right at hand; for just as surely as 
God has given these things as signs of the coming day, just 
so surely will the conviction settle deeply into the heart that 

265 



266 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



He is telling us by these things that His Son is soon to come. 
The greatness of these extraordinary signs in the elements is 
graphically stated in verse n of this same chapter in Luke: 
"And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, 
and pestilences ; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be 
from heaven." 

Men inspired by Satan may attempt, as did the magicians 
in Moses' day, to set at naught some of the evidence God has 
given of the approaching end of time. Bat here are "signs" 




Fire, and pillars of smoke. 



from "heaven," "fearful sights and great signs," so unmistakably 
clear that all not only may see, but must see ; and, seeing them, 
they can not escape the conviction of what they mean. The 
prophet Joel says : — 

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out 
My Spirit upon all flesh ; and your sons and your daughters 
shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young 
men shall see visions ; and also upon the servants and upon the 
handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit. And I will 
show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, 
and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, 
and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day 
of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever 
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered ; for in 
Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord 



THE VOICE OF THE ELEMENTS 



267 



hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call." 
Joel 2 : 28-32. 

Observe that the foregoing scripture states that all these 
great signs in 

sun, moon, 
and "earth" are 
to appear "be- 
fore the great 
and the terrible 
day of the Lord 
come." Peter 
quotes this 
prophecy of Joel 
in full in Acts 
2 : 1 6-2 1. He 
also makes clear 
the time when it 
applies; for he says, "It 
shall come to pass in the 
last days" that all these 
things will be seen. So, 
then, beyond a peradven- 
ture, the "last days" are 
to be specially distin- 
guished by "wonders in 
the heavens and in the 
earth, blood, and fire, and 
pillars of smoke." As 
these things are seen the 
conviction deepens in 
every heart that "the 
great and the terrible day of the Lord" is right at hand. 
Isaiah testifies to the condition of the elements in the last 
days in language quite as forcible and pointed as that of Joel. 




"I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they 
trembled. . . And all the birds of the 
heavens . . . fled." — Vide p. 271. 



268 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 




"The foundations of the earth 
do shake." 



He says: "Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it 
shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore 
shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt; and 

they shall be afraid ; pangs 
and sorrows shall take 
hold of them; they shall 
be in pain as a woman 
that travaileth; 
they shall be 
amazed one at 
another; their 
faces shall be as 
flames. Behold, 
the day of the 
Lord cometh, 
cruel both with 
wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He shall 
destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven 
and the constellations thereof shall not give their light ; the 
sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall 
not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for 
their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity ; and I will cause 
the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the 
haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious 
than fine gold ; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. 
Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove 
out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in 
the day of His fierce anger." Isa. 13:6-13. 

This scripture also points to the time when "the day of the 
Lord is at hand;" and in harmony with scriptures noticed in 
preceding chapters, it shows that men, because of their iniquity, 
"arrogancy," "pride," and "haughtiness," make it necessary for 
the Lord to pronounce the decree, " I will punish the world for 
their evil," and "destroy the sinners thereof out of it." But do 



THE VOICE OF THE ELEMENTS 269 

not fail to note that this scripture says, "I will shake the 
heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the 
wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of His fierce anger." 

Thus this prophecy, too, forewarns us of a very great com- 
motion in the "heavens" and in the "earth" when that great 
day is imminent. 

But hear Isaiah further: "Behold, the Lord maketh the 
earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, 
and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, 
as with the people, so with the priest ; as with the servant, so 
with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with 
the buyer, so with the seller ; as with the lender, so with the 
borrower ; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury 
to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled; 
for the Lord hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth 
and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the 
haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is 
defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have trans- 
gressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting 
covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and 
they that dwell therein are desolate ; therefore the inhabitants of 
the earth are burned, and few men left." 

" From the uttermost 
part of the earth have we 
heard songs, even glory to 
the righteous. But I said, 
My leanness, my leanness, 
wo unto me! the treacher- 
ous dealers have dealt 
treacherously;, yea, the " Tfie ,and sha11 be utterly emptied '" 
treacherous dealers have 

dealt very treacherously. Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are 
upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. And it shall come to 

pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall 
17 



:-^jm*s 






270 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

into the pit ; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit 
shall be taken in the snare; for the windows from on high 
are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. The 
earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the 
earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and 

FRO LIKE A DRUNKARD, AND SHALL BE REMOVED LIKE A COT- 
TAGE ; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it, 
and it shall fall, and not rise again. And it shall come to 
pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the 
high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon 
the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners 
are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, 
and after many days shall they be visited. Then the moon 
shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of 
hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before 
His ancients gloriously." Isa. 24:1-6, 16-23. 

Again in this scripture is the great sinfulness of earth's 
closing days presented. "The earth also is defiled under the 
inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, 
changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant," says 
the prophet. He states also that "the treacherous dealers 
have dealt treacherously ; yea, the treacherous dealers have 
dealt very treacherously;" and, speaking of the earth, he says, 
"The transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it." Note, 
too, that this scripture adds its testimony to the fact that the 
elements will be raging at the close of time. Observe its 
thrillingly-clear statements: "Behold, the Lord maketh the 
earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down." 
And again, "The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly 
spoiled; for the Lord hath spoken this word." Then follow 
the startling statements: "Fear, and the pit, and the snare, 
are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. And it shall come 
to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall 
fall into the pit ; and he that cometh up out of the midst of 



THE VOICE OF THE ELEMENTS 2jl 

the pit shall be taken in the snare ; for the windows from on 
high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. 
The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, 
the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and 
fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage." 

When the Lord is "making the earth empty" and "waste" 
and "turning it upside down;" when the very "foundations 
of the earth do shake;" when it "is utterly broken down," 
and "clean dissolved;" when it is "moved exceedingly" — aye, 
when "the earth shall reel to and fro" like the unsteady 
movements of the "drunkard," and "shall be removed like a 
cottage," surely then there will be a raging of the elements 
that will strike with terror every soul that is not safely anchored 
to the Rock of Ages. And who has not been impressed, 
when observing the fury of our modern hurricanes, tidal waves, 
and cyclones, that these mighty storms, growing as they are 
so much more violent and frequent, are surely the beginning 
of the fulfilment of these prophetic utterances? 

On this same subject Jeremiah says: "I beheld the earth, 
and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and 
they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they 
trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, 
there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. 
I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all 
the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the 
Lord, and by His fierce anger. For thus hath the Lord said, 
The whole land shall be desolate ; yet will I not make a full 
end. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above 
be black ; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and 
will not repent, neither will I turn back from it." Jer. 4: 23-28. 

Thus the Scriptures proclaim over and over that "at the 
presence of the Lord," "shall the earth mourn," the "heavens 
above be black," "the fruitful place" shall be turned into "a 
wilderness, and all the cities thereof" be "broken down." 



272 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 




With these scriptures in 
mind, how impressive is the 
voice of the modern hurri- 
cane and the cyclone, whirl- 
ing with such terrific fury as 
to defy description, and the 
frightful and deafening roar 
of the tidal wave ! 
Most of the people 
living to-day have not 
only seen 
such pictures 



" For thus hath the 
Lord said, The whole 
land shall be deso- 
late; yet will I not 
make a full end." 




. *, 



THE VOICE OF THE ELEMENTS 



2?3 



as those on the 

accompanying 

pages, but 

have seen the 

furious lashing and twisting of the storms 

they represent. " For thus hath the Lord 

said, The whole land shall be desolate; 

yet will I not make a full end." As these 

things appear, the conviction deepens in 

every heart that "the great and terrible 

day of the Lord" is nigh at hand. 

The reader is aware 
of the fact that there is 
no portion of the world 
now that is exempt 
from these terrific 
storms. During 
the history of all 
past time prior to 
the middle of last 
century, compara- 
tively few great 
storms are men- 
tioned. But in the 
great storms, as in 
everything else 
that characterizes 

this remarkable age, there has been a most marvelous increase, 
both in the frequency and the terrific fury of the tempestuous 
hurricanes that' carry such destruction all along their track. 
Not alone the western prairies, but the more densely-populated 
districts of the east, with the old historic countries of Europe 
and the Orient, feel the desolating power of the great cyclone. 
The cyclone cellars, and other places of refuge from these 




" The cyclone, 
whirling with . . „ 
terrific fury." 



274 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



storms (a device, by the way, that our fathers knew nothing 
about), testify to the fear that has already been created in the 
minds of men by the desolation of the tornado. But there is 
a better refuge from raging storms than anything man can 
devise; and in every "roar" of the elements our ear should 
catch the call to flee to the strong Tower, the only Saviour. 
The reader is well aware of the great tornadoes that have 
visited destruction upon portions of some of the larger cities, 
as well as almost wholly to destroy some of the smaller ones, 
during very recent years. This destruction which has been 
visited only in part upon the great cities, is yet to sweep over 
all before the close of time; for we have been forewarned, in 
the scriptures quoted in this chapter, that "the fruitful place" 
will become "a wilderness, and all the cities thereof" will be 

"broken down at the 
presence of the Lord, 
and by His fierce 
anger." Jer. 4:26. 
The cities, more than 
any other part of the 
world, are the great 
centers of vice and 
corruption ; and be- 
cause of their gross 
wickedness, the Lord 
has given His unfail- 
ing word that they 
shall "all" be "bro- 
ken down." 

This breaking 
down of the cities 
because of their wickedness will be done in part, no doubt, 
through the violent acts of the men who inhabit them ; but 
what their violence fails to do the overwhelming action of the 




" Storms of hail that leave 
ruin in their track." 



THE VOICE OF THE ELEMENTS 



275 




"And the waters shall 



overflow. 



elements of nature will complete. God tells us that Sodom 
and Gomorrha, those cities of ancient time whose wickedness 
became so gross as to become a proverb, "are set forth for an 
example." Jude 7. The destruction of those ancient cities is 
not any more com- 
plete than that 
which the prophets 
tell us will be vis- 
ited upon the de- 
baucheries and sins 
of the cities of our 
day. ' It should 
be kept in mind 
constantly that 
this is not the 
statement of 

some theological theory; it is the presentation of literal facts, 
that have for their foundation the authority of Him who not 
only knows the end from the beginning, but who is also the 
all-powerful One. If there was ever a time when it was proper 
to theorize and speculate, certainly it is not the case in this 
time; for we have facts and conditions that are too weighty 
and all-pervading in their importance for us to allow them to 
be even obscured, much less set aside, by mere theories. t 

Not only are tornadoes and storms of that class increasing 
in violence and frequency, but the earthquake, the tidal wave, 
and volcanic commotions are becoming much more frequent, 
and are often felt nowadays in places where the "reeling to and 
fro" of the earth was never known before. You have observed 
these great upheavals and demonstrations in nature ; the Scrip- 
tures tell us what they signify. 

Especial attention should be given to the remarkable activity 
and outbursting of volcanoes in these modern days. Not only 
have we had the terrific and destructive eruptions of Pelee, but 



276 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



we have had 
threatenings in 
many other lo- 
calities that be- 
token the forces 
that are pent 
up and smol- 
dering beneath. 

There are 
whole sections 
of the land that 
are kept in an 
almost constant 
tremble, and 
there is no 
knowing -when 
or where the 
next outburst 
will be. 

It will not 

do to toss these things to one side by saying that such volcanic 
action has been prevalent over the earth to a greater or less 
extent during all past time. It is perfectly true that we have 
had eruptions of volcanoes, and earthquakes in past time that 
have completely destroyed whole cities and large sections of 
the country. But these are only samples of the general destruc- 
tion that has been decreed upon all the cities of this earth in 
this time when the ''violence" of men has become great in the 
earth, in fulfilment of the scripture predictions that have already 
been dwelt upon in the pages of this book. The whole world 
is tottering along the crater's edge, and we are about to witness 
such desolating destructions as have never been seen. They 
will not be confined to some small locality ; they will be uni- 
versal. These things are not mentioned to alarm, but to warn 




"Destruction upon destruction is cried." 



THE VOICE OF THE ELEMENTS 



77 




"The Lord . . . turneth 
it upside down, and scattereth abroad 
the inhabitants thereof." 



and to save. They are facts 
based upon authority. If you 
properly consider them, you 
may not only see the danger 
but may enter into the shelter 
that is provided against these 
times of peril and desolation. 
The hail-storms of modern 
times, while not so severe and 
destructive as they will be, are 
worthy of note in this connec- 
tion. The Lord asked Job the 
question, " Hast thou entered 
into the treasures of the snow? 
or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, which I have 
reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle 
and war?" Job 38:22, 23. 

Then God has "treasures of hail" which He has "reserved 
against the time of trouble," "the day of battle and war." This 
"time of trouble," "the day of battle and war," is now right 
upon us, and we should expect to see a beginning made in the 
casting out of those "treasures of hail" which God has "re- 
served" against this time. Concerning these days of exceeding 
wickedness the Lord says, "Judgment also will I lay to the 
line, and righteousness to the plummet ; and the hail shall sweep 
away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding- 
place." Isa. 28 : 17. 

These "treasures of hail" with which God is about to sweep 
away the refuge of lies are beginning to be brought out. It is 
not uncommon to read of storms of hail that leave ruin in their 
track. And it may not be amiss again to say that the Scrip- 
tures have foretold the significance of it. These storms that 
have already appeared, fearfully destructive though they may 
have been, are but the beginnings of what will be seen all over 



278 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

the world when God "shall sweep away" the last "refuge of 
lies," and restore again the purity and truth of Eden. 

Not only are these various kinds of storms given as signs of 
the coming day, but we are told that one of the "seven last 
plagues" is to be the scorching of men with "great heat" from 
the sun. "And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the 
sun ; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. 
And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the 
name of God, which hath power over these plagues; and they 
repented not to give Him glory." Rev. 16:8,9. 

Now it is evident that the "seven last plagues" are not as 
yet being poured out, yet the evidence is conclusive that we are 
living in the very presence of the time when these plagues must 
soon begin. In the torrid waves that sweep over the land, the 
world is having a little foretaste of what that time will be. 
Particularly during the summer season such head-lines to the 
news of the day as the following are of constant occurrence: 
"Elements in a Fury;" "Sun Shows No Mercy;" "Business 
Paralyzed by Heat;" "Torrid Wave General." Such news- 
paper headings are very common, and familiar to all. The 
reader knows these facts too well to require more than the 
merest mention of them. 

How strikingly clear is the evidence God has given us of 
the approach of that "great day"! Is it not truly marvelous 
that divine foreknowledge, thousands of years in advance, could 
present these things so graphically? It is certain that infinite 
love has exhausted its infinite powers in making clear to us the 
signs by which we may know that the one event of all the ages 
.is "even at the doors." All this testimony is accumulating, 
and presenting itself in vivid outlines on every hand. When 
we hear the "sea and the waves roaring;" when the "fearful 
sights and great signs" that there shall be from heaven, together 
with "famines and pestilences," shall be seen in all the land; 
when we behold "in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of 



THE VOICE OF THE ELEMENTS 279 

smoke;" when the "destruction from the Almighty" is laying 
"the land desolate;" when "the Lord maketh the earth empty," 
and "waste," and "turneth it upside down," and it "is utterly 
broken down," "clean dissolved," "moved exceedingly," and is 
"reeling to and fro like a drunkard;" when we behold the 
mountains, and, lo, they tremble, and all the hills move lightly ; 
when we see the "fruitful place a wilderness, and all the cities 
thereof broken down ;" when the "treasures of hail," with which 
God will "sweep away the refuge of lies," is devastating the 
land; and when on every hand we see men "scorched with 
great heat;" aye, when the awful raging of all the elements is 
in dreadful commotion all about us, and the stoutest of "men's 
hearts are failing them for fear, and for looking after those 
things that are coming on the earth" — then it is that our Lord 
bids us, "Look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemp- 
tion draweth nigh." These multiplied signs all over the land, 
terrible in majesty, power, and destruction though they may 
be, are among the heralds by which God permits the coming of 
His Son to be proclaimed. The soul is stirred to its deepest 
and most sublime emotions as the awe-inspiring voice of the 
elements, in tones of the deepest thunder's roar, 'entreats the 
whole world, "Prepare to meet thy God." 

Many, in thinking of these things, see only the terror; but 
our Heavenly Father does not desire that these commotions of 
the elements, manifested in terrific hurricanes, cyclones, vol- 
canoes, tidal waves, earthquakes, hail-storms, and scorching 
heat, shall fill the heart with indescribable fear and dismay. 
These signs are not permitted in order to terrify us, but rather 
to let us know that this old earth is tossing and "reeling to 
and fro" amid the shoals and breakers near the farther shore 
of time, where the reign of sin shall cease. They are evidences 
that the Son of Man is about to return; and the word of our 
Father to us is: "Come, My people, enter thou into thy 
chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as it 



280 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. 
For, 'behold, the Lord cometh out of His pla'ce to* punish 
the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth also 
shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain." 
Isa. 26:20, 21. 

In this time our Lord assures us: "Thou shalt not be 
afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth 
by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor 
for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall 
fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it 
shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou 
behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast 
made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy 
habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any 
plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He shall give His angels 
charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall 
bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a 
stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder; the young 
lion and dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he 
hath set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will 
set him on high, because he hath known My name. He shall 
call upon Me, and I 'will answer him; I will be with him in 
trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. With long life 
will I satisfy him, and show him My salvation." Ps. 91 : 5—1 6. 

All these "exceeding great and precious promises" apply 
at this time. Ponder each one prayerfully. They are all 
yours. God wants to remove all dismay and terror from the 
heart of His people in this time when He is preparing to 
make a complete destruction of all sin. For all who will accept 
Him as their Saviour, His "perfect love will cast out all fear," 
and fill the soul with an indescribable joy, and an unutterable 
confidence, even in the very midst of the most furious of the 
lashing storms, and while being shaken by the vibrations of 
the most destructive eruptions that will ever rend the volcanic 



THE VOICE OF THE ELEMENTS 28 1 

hills and mountains of our suffering planet. The following 
treasure of promise should be engraved upon the memory of 
each one so as to be a constant support and solace in these 
tempestuous times: — 

"God is our refuge and strength, 
A very present help in trouble. 

Therefore will we not fear, though the earth do change, 
And though the mountains be shaken into the heart of the seas; 
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, 
Though the mountains tremble with the swelling thereof, 
There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God, 
The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. 
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: 
God will help her, and that right early. 
The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved: 
He uttered His voice, the earth melted. 
Jehovah of hosts is with us; 
The God of Jacob is our refuge. 
Come, behold the works of Jehovah, 
What desolations He hath made in the earth. 
He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; 
He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; 
He burnetii the chariots in the fire. 
Be still, and know that I am God: 

I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth 
Jehovah of hosts is with us; 
The God of Jacob is our refuge." Psalm 46, A. R. V. 




CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE 

NOT only do the elements overhead testify of the coming 
day, but the very ground itself is called upon to bear 
witness to the nearness of the end of time. "And, 
Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the 
earth; and the heavens are the works of Thine hands; they 
shall perish; but Thou remainest; and they shall all wax old 
as doth a garment ; and as a vesture shalt Thou fold them 
up, and they shall be changed ; but Thou art the same, and 
Thy years shall not fail." Heb. i: 10-12. Here the direct 
and plain language is used that so truly characterizes the Bible. 
Speaking of the earth, and of the atmosphere, or heavens, 
connected with it, the apostle says, "They all shall wax old 
as doth a garment ; and as a vesture shalt Thou fold them 
up, and they shall be changed." Thus the burden of decay 
because of the curse occasioned by sin rests heavily on old 
mother earth, and she "waxes old." 

Isaiah bears witness to the decrepitude of the earth, as 
follows: "Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon 
the earth beneath ; for the heavens shall vanish away like 
smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they 
that dwell therein shall die in like manner; but My salvation 

shall be forever, and My righteousness shall not be abolished." 

282 



THE TESTIMONY OF THE EARTH 283 

Isa. 51:6. Here, again, the statement is made that the "earth 
shall wax old like a garment." And as the night of sin settles 
darker and still darker upon it, the curse which sin has caused 
is more and more deeply felt. Jeremiah, in speaking of the 
closing days of time, says: "I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful 
place was a wilderness." Jer. 4: 26. Then the "waxing old" 
of the earth involves the changing of places once "fruitful" 
into a barren "wilderness." The departing of earth's vigor 
of youth, and the infirmities of age creeping over her, are thus 
pointed out as among the unmistakable tokens of her approach- 
ing dissolution. 

There is perhaps no portion of Scripture that sets forth 
the general decay of "the earth as an evidence of the coming 
end of time more forcibly than the first chapter of Joel's 
prophecy. The prophet says : — 

"Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of 
the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days 
of your fathers? Tell ye your children of it, and let your 
children tell their children, and their children another genera- 
tion. That which the palmer-worm hath left hath the locust 
eaten ; and that which the locust hath left hath the canker-worm 
eaten ; and that which the canker-worm hath left hath the cater- 
pillar eaten. Awake, ye drunkards, and weep ; and howl, all 
ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off 
from your mouth. For a nation is come up upon My land, 
strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a 
lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. He hath laid 
My vine waste, and barked My fig tree : he hath made it clean 
bare, and cast it away ; the branches thereof are made white. 
"Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband 
of her youth. The meat-offering and the drink-offering is cut 
off from the house of the Lord ; the priests, the Lord's ministers, 
mourn. The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is 
wasted ; the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye 



284 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

ashamed, O ye husbandmen ; howl, O ye vine-dressers, for the 
wheat and for the barley ; because the harvest of the field is 
perished. The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; 
the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, 
even all the trees of the field, are withered ; because joy is 
withered away from the sons of men. Gird yourselves, and 
lament, ye priests; howl, ye ministers of the altar; come, lie 
all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God; for the meat- 
offering- a nd the drink-offerino- is withholden from the house 
of your God. 

"Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the 
elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of 
the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord, Alas for the 
day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruc- 
tion from the Almighty shall it come. Is not the meat 
cut off from our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house 
of our God? The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners 
are laid desolate, the barns are broken down ; for the corn is 
withered. How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are 
perplexed, because they have no pasture ; yea, the flocks of 
sheep are made desolate. O Lord, to Thee will I cry; for 
the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the 
flame hath burned all the trees of the field. The beasts of 
the field cry also unto Thee ; for the rivers of waters are dried 
up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness. 
BLOW YE THE TRUMPET IN ZION, AND SOUND 
AN ALARM IN MY HOLY MOUNTAIN; LET ALL 
THE INHABITANTS OF THE LAND TREMBLE; 
FOR THE DAY OF THE LORD COMETH, FOR IT 
IS NIGH AT HAND." Joel 1: 2-20; 2: 1. 

The fifteenth verse of chapter 1 and the first verse of 
chapter 2 of this prophecy of Joel show that the "day of the 
Lord" is the time to which the prophet's vision is directed; 
and his description of what would be seen in the world at 



THE TESTIMONY OF THE EARTH 285 

that time is most direct and forcible. In the other scripture 
quoted we have seen that the earth is to "wax old like a 
garment;" this chapter in Joel goes into particulars, and tells 
us quite fully what this waxing old means. First, we are 
told of the insects and worms that would be a destruction to 
crops. The "palmer- worm," the "locust," the "canker-worm," 
and the "caterpillar" are mentioned; and then, after calling to 
the drunkard to "weep and howl" because the wine is "cut 
off," it is stated, "For a nation is come up upon My land, 
strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a 
lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. He hath 
laid My vine waste, and barked My fig tree; he hath made it 
clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made 

white." Joel i : 6, 7. 

Thus it is seen that not simply the few destructive insects 
and worms mentioned will be working havoc on vegetation, 
but a "nation is come up upon My land, strong, and without 
number," and as the result the vine is laid waste, and the 
drunkard's wine is cut off; but while his supply of wine is 
"cut off," the drunkard still has his appetite for strong drink, 
and so "weeps" and "howls." It is far better to get rid of 
these perverted desires now, so that in the time so soon to 
come we will be free in God. 

Note the force of other statements in this remarkable scrip- 
ture : "The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn 
is wasted; the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be 
ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen ; howl, O ye vine-dressers, 
for the wheat and for the barlev ; because the harvest of the 
field is perished. The vine is dried up, and the fig tree 
languisheth ; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the 
apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered; because 
joy is withered away from the sons of men." Joel 1: 10-12. 

What a striking expression of the conditions that are to 
become more and more pronounced and marked in these last 

18 



286 HERALDS OK THE MORNING 

days : The field wasted, the land mourning, the harvest of 
the field perished, the vine dried up, and the apple tree, 
even all the trees of the field, withered. But this is not all. 
Read again: "The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners 
are laid desolate, the barns are broken down ; for the corn is 
withered. How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are 
perplexed, because they have no pasture ; yea, the flocks of 
sheep are made desolate. O Lord, to Thee will I cry; for 
the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the 
flame hath burned all the trees of the field. The beasts of 
the field cry also unto Thee; for the rivers of waters are 
dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the 
wilderness. Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm 
in My holy mountain ; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble ; 
for the day of the Lord comet h, for it is nigh at hand." Joel 
i : 17-20; 2:1. Who can mistake the import of these thrilling 
and heart-searching- words? 

How impressive is this chapter of Joel, telling us how 
literally and absolutely the earth " shall wax old as doth a 
garment," and how completely it shall molder to decay! The 
words of Isaiah make plain the cause of all this: "The earth 
shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like 
a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon 
it; and it shall fall, and not rise again." Isa. 24: 20. 

"The transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it." Then 
it is the "transgression" — the curse occasioned by sin — that 
results in all this ruin and desolation. The individual who 
chooses to disregard the laws of nature, has to suffer the 
consequences of his folly. Instead of the ruddy glow of health, 
the pallor of the countenance shows that the fires of consuming 
disease are burning- within. And so with our old earth. The 
curse of "the transgression thereof" is "heavy upon it." Man's 
gross iniquities have corrupted it, until it, too, is breaking 
beneath the load, and "waxes old," ready for the consuming 



THE TESTIMONY OE THE EARTH 287 

fires of the last days. Our kind Heavenly Father would have 
prevented all this suffering- if sinful man had only submitted 
to the wooing of His divine and amazing love; but this being 
rejected, the only consistent thing left for the Lord to do is 
to allow sin to run its course, till the time is reached when 
every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart is only evil 
continually. When this time comes, there will be no longer 
a ray of hope that any one can be made better, but, rather 
it will be evident that all have become so depraved that the 
most merciful thing is to bring this reign of sin to an end 
by the judgments of the last days. 

Every tiller of the soil is painfully aware of the fact that 
it is becoming more and more difficult to raise a crop. Grass- 
hoppers and numerous other pests and crop-destroyers of one 
kind and another have reached all parts of the land. Under 
the headinp- of "The Annual Battle with Insects," Geo. E. 
Walsh has the following to say in the Scientific American: 

"For a quarter of a century science has been laboring in 
the cause of agriculture to reduce the number of garden pests 
and to hold them in check. The annual battles with the 
insect foes are carried on energetically from early spring till 
late autumn; and the farmer or gardener is not quite sure of 
his crops until they have been actually harvested. In spite 
of all the protective agencies that science has surrounded the 
fields and gardens with, disasters of gigantic proportions will 
break out occasionally through the sudden increase of some 
obnoxious insect or fungus growth. It is the destruction of the 
potato crop, one season, by the Colorado beetle ; the total 
failure of the wheat-fields in certain states by the rust or 
blight, another year ; or the wide-spread injury to the cotton 
plants by the boll-worms. Somewhere within the United States 
some crop is pretty sure to be seriously damaged by the insects 
or the fungus growth nearly every season. . . . By the 
middle of summer, insect foes are swarming all over the garden 



2 88 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

and on every plant. Plant-lice, or aphides, attack all weak 
plants, and they multiply at the rate of from five to twenty 
millions in a season from one progenitor ." 

It is unnecessary * to multiply testimony upon this point. 
Every one who has anything to do with the raising of fruit 
or grain, or any kind of plants, knows the truthfulness and 
universal application of what Mr. Walsh says. Thousands 
have been impressed by the increasing difficulty of maturing a 
crop ; but have they realized that it is because the earth is 
"waxing old" and crumbling to decay in consequence of the 
corrupting transgressions that are polluting it? And this is 
but another link in the great chain of evidence that shows us 
so conclusively that "the end of all things is at hand." 

A result of this general decay of the earth as we approach 
the end will be wide-spread famine and pestilence; for has not 
the Lord said that "great earthquakes shall be in divers places, 
3.nd famines, and pestilences ; and fearful sights and great signs 
shall there be from heaven" (Luke 21: 11)? 

"Famines" and "pestilences" have been seen in the earth 
during all the ages, as both history and the Scriptures plainly 
show, and so in themselves alone could not constitute a sign 
of the end. But the "famines and pestilences" of past cen- 
turies have been as nothing compared with what we may 
expect in these closing decades of time. The words of the 
prophet again come vividly to mind: "The earth also is defiled 
under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed 
the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting cove- 
nant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they 
that dwell therein are desolate; therefore the inhabitants of 
the earth are burned, and few men left." Isa. 24:5, 6. 

So when the earth becomes "denied under the inhabitants 
thereof," then it is that it will be said, "Therefore hath the 
curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are des- 
olate." And when it can be said that the awful "curse" of 



THE TESTIMONY OF THE EARTH 289 

sin has "devoured" the earth, any former pestilence or famine 
will be compared to the experiences of that time but as a 
shadow. The recent famines in India, the failure of crops in 
various parts of this country, as well as elsewhere in the world, 
are but the dim bepinnincrs of what the condition will be 
when the time so vividly described by the prophets is fully 
reached. 

New forms of disease are constantly breaking out among 
both men and beasts. These diseases become epidemic, and 
spread over the land as a destroying plague. Scientific men 
are studying these growing infirmities and their causes. They 
have demonstrated that they are all a consequence of the vio- 
lation of nature's laws and of atmospheric conditions that are 
growing- more and more unfavorable to health. The "surfeit- 
ing," the "drunkenness," the licentious vices, against which 
such faithful warnings have been given in the Word of God, 
are at the root of all these physical ills of humanity. But 
pointing out the evil does not cause it to cease. Appetite and 
passion and a general indifference to nature's inexorable laws, 
close the minds of men, and the warnings are unheeded. 

The knowledge of sanitary and medical science was never 
so great as it is to-day, never so capable of elevating and 
purifying the world from its load of corrupting ailments; but 
men go blindly ahead, in the face of light and of demon- 
strated facts of physical law, ever plunging deeper and deeper 
into the degrading and destroying sins against their physical 
being. It can not be said that it is through necessary igno- 
rance that they are doing this; for it would seem that God is 
concentrating every ray of light regarding the laws of life and 
health upon the people of this generation. 

Through the applied knowledge of physiological and sani- 
tary law, a wonderful work has been done. The average 
length of life has been materially advanced ; but, as recently 
pointed out by one of the world's most thoughtful, scholarly, 



29O HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

and successful physicians, this lengthening of the average of 
life is not the hopeful thing that the statistics would indicate. 
The recent achievements of science enable the doctor to keep 
those afflicted with the numerous infectious and contagious 
diseases alive for a much longer time than formerly; but it is 
only that they may produce their kind, w T ho will be still further 
weakened by the accumulating tendency to disease. Thus 
even the lengthening of life is not producing the results that 
appear on the surface. There can be no disguising the real 
fact that the race is growing weaker; and it is made clear by 
both the Word of God and our common every-day observa- 
tion that all this is because of the ''transgressions," the ''sur- 
feiting," the "drunkenness," and the prevailing vices of this age. 

The very earth itself is groaning because of "the trans- 
gression thereof" that is "heavy upon it." The pollutions of 
mankind, their transgression of physical law, their failure to 
observe the most thoroughly demonstrated principles of sani- 
tary science, create a soil for the growth of the germs of decay 
and pestilence; and Satan, who is "come down unto you, hav- 
ing great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short 
time," exerts his power to increase and intensify the ever- 
expanding evil. This evil one has been in the school of sin 
for six thousand years; he has access to the laboratories of 
nature, and his extended research enables him to know how 
most successfully to combine the elements of transgression to 
produce the most malignant seeds with which to scatter the 
epidemic of decay. Some may be inclined to regard this 
lightly; but let us look at the striking utterances of the Word 
of God, listen to the voice of His Spirit impressing these words 
upon the soul, view the real and startling facts as they stand 
out around us, and prepare soon to meet this plain and 
unbroken testimony at the bar of the Eternal. 

Our Father in heaven is not the author of such suffering 
as appears in the world to-day; it sometimes seems hard to 



THE TESTIMONY OF THE EARTH 29 1 

understand why He permits it, even. But sin has lifted its 
hideous and cruel head in this planet of ours, and all the uni- 
verse of God must have the object-lesson of what Satan, by 
his reign of hatred and self-serving, would accomplish. He 
has sought to make it appear that the Father in heaven is a 
"hard man, reaping where" He had "not -sown, and gather- 
ing where" He had "not strewed." So sin must be allowed 
to develop. Its consequent miseries, its debasing and pollu- 
ting corruptions, its cruel torments, must ripen into the harvest 
of evil. Then all will see for themselves what the terrible fruits 
of sin are; and the declaration of the rebel chiefs proposition 
that our God is a "hard man" will be forever overthrown by 
the unanimous testimony of the universe. When the last ves- 
tige of sin. is destroyed, and with it all the suffering and sor- 
row that it has produced, with what exultation will "every 
creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the 
earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them," 
join in that swelling anthem, "Blessing, and honor, and glory, 
and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and 
unto the Lamb forever and ever" (Rev. 5:13)! 

This song of deliverance will soon be sung by the redeemed 
of God, in the presence of all the universe. What a happy 
day it will be! and how we should rejoice at each fresh evi- 
dence of the return of the "Prince of Peace"! The world is 
now waiting to hear the good news of His coming, and to be 
entreated to prepare to meet Him. God is calling for each 
one. He is now saying, "Go out into the highways and 
hedges, and compel them to come in." The compulsion that 
He uses is the divine force of His matchless love; and may 
we be admonished, by all these signs of His coming, to receive 
the heavenly Guest into our hearts, and so not only be ready 
to meet Him, but become messengers of righteousness through 
whom others may be won to the "Lamb of God, which taketh 
away the sin of the world." 



CUben Ye shall see all tbese tilings? 




CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX 



SO likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that 
it [margin, "He"] is near, even at the doors." Matt. 
24 : 33. We are bidden by this word of the Master to 
"know" when we shall see "all these things," that He is near, 
even at the doors. "When these things begin to come to pass, 
then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption 
draweth nigh." Luke 21:28. When we "begin" to see the 
signs that the Saviour has pointed to as the tokens of His 
soon coming, then are we to "look up, and lift up our heads;" 
for our redemption "draweth nigh" but when we see "all" the 
signs He has mentioned, then are we to "know" that He is 
"even at the doors" 

There have been deceptions of Satan in all the past centuries, 
but never such deceptions as his millenniums of experience and 
long schooling in the ways of sin will enable him to present in 
these last days. 

There have been here and there some very remarkable things 
scattered along through the ages of the past ; but nowhere and 
at no time has there been an age so filled with a bewildering 
mass of achievements, discoveries, and inventions as the one in 
which we live. 

The Gospel has made miraculous advancement as the centu- 
ries have come and gone; but it was reserved to the latter part 
of the nineteenth century to build the great printing-presses, the 
292 



WHEN YE SHALL SEE ALL THESE THINGS 293 

railways, and the steamships, and send out the printed Scriptures 
into the homes of the kindreds and tongues of earth. 

Great errors have spread over sections of the earth in bygone 
days; but nothing has ever more firmly rooted itself in the minds 
of "many people" than the unscriptural present-day doctrine of 
a peace millennium. 

There have been plague-spots of crime in different ages 
and localities; but never since the days of Noah has it been 
so apparent that the greater portion of the human race was 
sinking into the lowest depths of injustice, violence, and vice. 

Formality, superstition, and consequent apostasy have in 
many different periods planted the seeds of corruption and evil 
in the church that claimed to represent the Son of God; but 
never has the church, in the presence of such opportunities, 
facing such difficulties and dangers, possessing such intellectual 
possibilities and material facilities for good, and holding such 
stores of light, seemed to stand in such a lukewarm, careless, 
and compromising indifference. 

The pleasures and follies of idle amusements have always 
played a part among Satan's devices to lure men to sin; but 
never as to-day has the world been given up to the fun that 
debases, debauches, and destroys. 

There have been wealthy men in every nation and in every 
age; but never has there been such a " heaping" together of 
treasure, connected with the <f cries of the laborers," as is seen 
and heard at the present hour. 

There have been "wars and rumors of wars;" but never 
before have the nations of all the earth been so "angry," and 
never has it been made manifest that the "spirits of devils" had 
gone to the "kings of the earth and of the whole world, to 
gather them to the battle of that great day." 

There have been great storms and pestilences here and there 
all down the ages ; but never have the lashing elements filled the 
inhabitants of earth with such forebodings as now. 



294 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

There have been failures of crops and consequent famines 
in different localities and at divers times ; but never as now 
has the evidence made itself seen and felt that the earth is 
"waxing old like a garment," as beneath its load of "trans- 
gression" it begins to crumble to decay. While these things 
may have been seen to some extent in the past, they have 
not appeared all together, and over the whole face of the earth. 
The Master did not tell us that when we should see any one 
of these things in some isolated locality we were to know that 
His coming was near, but it is when we see "all these things." 
They may all be seen to-day, and they will become more and 
more marked and pronounced as these closing moments of 
time go by. 

When we see these things "begin to come to pass," we 
are to "look up;" but when we see "all these things," then are 
we to "know that He is near, even at the doors." How do 
these things impress you? Do you see "all these things"? Let 
each answer to his own conscience and to God. Controversy 
and heated discussion . are not invited. Professed Christians 
have already been cursed with too much of that. But the 
reader is earnestly entreated closely to heed God's Word, and 
so prepare for that eternity of existence that is given to all 
who will accept it. And how joyful the thought that the night 
of sin is almost ended, and that the heralds of the day of 
endless glory are trumpeting the invitation, "Come; for all 
things are now ready!" 





" When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, 
and all the holy angels with Him." 





eth for the children of thy peo- 
ple; and there shall be a time 
of trouble, such as never was 
since there was a nation even 
to that same time; and at that 
time thy people shall be deliv- 
ered, every one that shall be 
found written in the book. 
And many of them that sleep 
in the dust of the earth shall 
awake, some to everlasting life, 
and some to shame and ever- 
lasting contempt." Dan. 12:1, 2. The "great Prince which 
standeth for the children of thy people" can be none other than 
Christ, whom this text calls Michael. Christ says of His pres- 
ent position that He is set down with His "Father in His 
throne." Rev. 3:21. He is seated thus with His Father to 
act as our intercessor and high Driest. 

The foregoing text from Daniel tells of the time when 
He "stands up." His work as intercessor and high priest is 
finished, and He "stands up" to be robed with the vesture on 

which is written "King of kings, and Lord of lords." The 

297 



298 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

great day of emancipation is at hand; for "at that time thy 
people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written 
in the book." Dan. 12:1. 

Of those whose names were "written in the book" another 
scripture says: "I saw the dead, small and great, stand before 
God; and the books were opened; and another book was 
opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged 
out of those things which were written in the books, according 
to their works." Rev. 20:12. 

Thus do the Scriptures clearly show that to deliver "every 
one that shall be found written in the book" is the great work 
of the judgment and the resurrection. This fact is made still 
clearer and is more fully emphasized by the words of Daniel 
already quoted: "And many of them that sleep in the dust 
of the earth shall awake." Dan. 12:2. Thus from every 
standpoint how clearly may it be seen that this "standing 
up" of Michael is associated with the judgment scenes and 
the resurrection at that great day when Christ shall come. 

O, the sublime joy of the thought! The church in all the 
ages has been singing of the glorious day when every sleeping 
child of God shall be brought from the grave to enjoy the 
bliss of endless life and to possess the substantial realities of 
eternity. The church of past ages has had to content itself 
with the prospect of participating in the blessedness of these 
resurrection scenes at some distant future time; but now the 
day is at hand! The hour is almost here! The Lord has 
caused the guiding stars to be charted by which we may 
know it. 

When this view of deliverance for God's people — even the 
resurrection day — was presented to the prophet, observe that 
he saw that there should be "a time of trouble, such as never 
was since there was a nation even to that same time." Daniel 
had a wonderful view in minute outline of the rise and fall of 
nations, beginning with his own day and reaching down to 



THERE SHALL BE A TIME OF TROUBLE 299 

the second coming of Christ. All the bloody scenes of all the 
bloody wars that would arise during all the conflicts, the strug- 
gles and oppressions of the ages, were made to be familiar to 
Daniel's prophetic eye. Yes, even the French Revolution, 
with its shocking brutalities, its horrors, and its " Reign of 
Terror," was viewed by the prophet. And then the vision 
'of the "time of the end" is given him; he sees the difficulties, 
the evils, and the perplexities; he beholds that which causes 
Michael to "stand up" as "King of kings and Lord of lords;" 
and then he pens the prophetic words, "There shall be a time 
of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even 
to that same time." 

To those who have read of the terrors in France during 
her revolution a hundred years ago, and who may be familiar 
with the history of other national calamities, and the many 
times of trouble that our world has seen, it may be a startling 
revelation that none of those scenes in the past furnish a 
parallel to which this "time of trouble" in the "time of the 
end" may be likened; yet such is the declaration of the Scrip- 
tures. In view of the condition of our world to-dav, what 
else is there to expect? As we enter the time when, as the 
Word of God foretells, "every imagination of the thoughts" of 
men's hearts will be "only evil continually," the only result 
that can follow will be an unprecedented "time of trouble." 
It will be as much worse than the "time of trouble" resulting 
from the abandoned wickedness in Noah's time, as the popu- 
lation of evil-doers is greater now, and as Satan's ability to 
deceive has by long practise become more acute and cunning. 

Other scriptures bear testimony that the closing days of 
earth's history- are a "time of trouble." Luke records the 
Master's words as follows: "There shall be signs in the sun, 
and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress 
of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 
men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those 



300 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

things which are coming on the earth; for the powers of 
heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son 
of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." 
Luke 21:25-27. 

Thus has the Lord foretold the ''distress of nations, with 
perplexity," that will exist on the earth at the time of His 
coming. Not only will the nations be in "distress" and "per- 
plexity," but there will be the "sea and the waves roaring." 
Men will see these "things which are coming on the earth," 
and their "hearts will fail them for fear." Such is the Word 
of God, and such are the literal facts. 

The reader is familiar with Paul's statement in 2 Tim. 
3: 1-5, which tells of the "perilous times" that shall come "in 
the last days." He knows of the great list of sins there enu- 
merated that shall exist not only in the world, but among those 
who "have a form of godliness," which sins are the producers 
of the last-day perils. Selfishness, avarice, and the cruelty of 
sin have ever been a source of danger in the world; but this 
danger reaches its climax in the "time of trouble," and occa- 
sions "fears," "perplexities/' and "perils" in the "last days." 

Other scriptures sounding the warning of dangers that will 
exist in the closing years of earth's reign of sin are doubtless 
before the mind; but perhaps in none of them is the situation 
more vividly portrayed than in the words of Zephaniah: — 

"And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search 
Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled 
on their lees: that say in their heart, The Lord will not do 
good, neither will He do evil. Therefore their goods shall 
become a booty, and their houses a desolation; they shall also 
build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vine- 
yards, but not drink the wine thereof. The great day of the 
Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of 
the day of the Lord; the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. 
That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a 



THERE SHALL BE A TIME OF TROUBLE 3OI 

day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom- 
iness, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet 
and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. 
And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like 
blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord; and 
their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the 
dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to 
deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath ; but the whole 
land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy; for He 
shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in 
the land." Zeph. i : 12-18. 

The word ''Jerusalem" sometimes applies to the professed 
church of Christ as well as to the literal city of the Jews, and 
in the foregoing quotation it very clearly denotes the church. 
Not only do these words of Zephaniah add their harmonious 
testimony to what other scriptures say concerning our times, 
but a most solemn warning is given to professed Christians 
"that are settled on their lees," and who "say in their heart, 
The Lord will not do good, neither will He do evil." This is 
the time of the church's greatest responsibility; for "the great 
day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly." Zeph- 
aniah says, "The mighty man shall cry there bitterly;" he says 
it is "a day of trouble and distress;" it is "a day of wasteness 
and desolation;" it is "a day of darkness and gloominess, a 
day of clouds and thick darkness." The prophet also adds 
that it is "a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced 
cities, and against the high towers," showing, of course, the 
spirit of war that shall be in the land; and because of these 
impending perils, the church should be intensely active in her 
Master's work. 

What solemn heed should be given to the warnings sent to 
this wicked age: "I will bring distress upon men, that they 
shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against 
the Lord." And "neither their silver nor their gold," which, 



302 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

as previously shown, they have heaped "together for the last 
days," "shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's 
wrath." Surely this scripture adds a most decided testimony 
to the fact that there shall be a great "time of trouble" just 
before the coming of the Just One. 

We have already seen that the last days will be full of 
satanic deceptions. What perils and trouble these deceptions 
will lead men into, only divine foresight is able to reveal. We 
have been forewarned that at the "coming of the Son of Man," 
even as in "the days of Noah," "every imagination of the 
thoughts" of men's hearts will be "only evil continually;" that 
"all flesh" will "corrupt his way upon the earth," and the earth 
will be "filled with violence;" that judgment will be "turned 
away backward," and the corrupting vices of Sodom will pollute 
the world ; that a " form of godliness " will take the place of the 
power of the Gospel in the church, and in consequence many 
professors of Christianity will be "lovers of pleasure more than 
lovers of God." We have read the scriptures that tell of those 
who will heap "treasure together for the last days," and also 
have heard how the cry of the laborers will be raised in con- 
sequence of this oppression. The present conflict between 
capital and labor is indeed most vividly set forth in the inspired 
Word. Our minds have been impressed by the predictions of 
the awful work that will be done by the "angry" nations, as 
they are gathered by the evil spirits to "the battle of that 
great day." The Lord has told us that the elements in the 
physical world will break forth in terrific storms and earth- 
quakes, until the earth shall be "utterly broken down," "clean 
dissolved," "moved exceedingly" — yea, that it "shall reel to 
and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage," 
on account of the transgression "that shall be heavy upon it." 
Then, too, the earth is "waxing old like a garment;" in its 
decaying condition crops are uncertain, and famine and pesti- 
lence will fill the world. 



THERE SHALL BE A TIME OF TROUBLE 303 

But in the face of all these plain statements of the Lord, 
and while standing in the time when the facts that fulfil His 
Word are a present, living reality, men will say: "Do not be 
disturbed. There is no 'time of trouble' ahead. Rest easy; 
for the nations will 'learn war no more,' and it is 'peace and 
safety' ahead of us." 

Many have uttered these false assurances of peace igno- 
rantly. It has been taught them, and they have taken it for 
granted that it is so; but the Lord's Word is plain, and Pie is 
seeking by its mighty power to dispel the delusion. There 
are many who are beginning to see the danger ahead, and are ' 
raising the signal of alarm. They do not all understand the, 
-meaning of the perils that are on either side of us, and that 
loom up still darker in front of us; yet, nevertheless, they 
see them. 

Archbishop Ireland says: "The bonds of society are relaxed; 
traditional principles are losing their sacredness, and perils 
hitherto unknown are menacing the life of the social organism." 
— The Church and Modern Society, p. 4, 1897. 

It is with no indistinctness that the celebrated archbishop 
says that "perils hitherto unknown are menacing the life of the 
social organism." 

Leo XIII. spoke on the subject as follows: "It is not 
surprising that the spirit of revolutionary change which has so 
long been dominant in the nations of the world, should have 
passed beyond politics, and made its influence felt in the cog- 
nate field of practical economy. The elements of a conflict are 
unmistakable: the growth of industry, and the surprising dis- 
coveries of science ; the changed relations of masters and work- 
men; the enormous fortunes of individuals, and the poverty of 
the masses; the increased self-reliance and the closer natural 
combination of the working population; and, finally, a general 
moral deterioration. The momentous seriousness of the pres- 
ent state of things just now fills every mind with painful appre- 

19 



304 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

hension ; wise men discuss it; practical men propose schemes, 
popular meetings, legislatures, and sovereign princes are all 
occupied with it; and there is nothing which has a deeper 
hold on public attention." — Encyclical Letter on the Condition 
of Labor. 

Leo very clearly saw the difficulties that are arising. He 
saw that the "momentous seriousness of the present state of 
things just now fills every mind with painful apprehension," 
and "that there is nothing which has a deeper hold on the 
public attention." He saw the elements coming together that 
will combine to make the great and final "time of trouble." 

Mr. Benjamin Kidd says: "To the thoughtful mind the 
outlook at the close of the nineteenth century is profoundly 
interesting. History can furnish no parallel to it. The prob- 
lems which loom across the threshold of the new century sur- 
pass in magnitude any that civilization has hitherto had to 
encounter." — Social Evolution, p. 1. 

E. Benjamin Andrews, formerly president of Brown Uni- 
versity, on returning from a trip to Europe, said: "No well- 
informed person in Europe seems to believe that peace is 
destined to endure there very long. On all hands people are 
preparing for war. Armies and navies are strengthened; forti- 
fications multiplied; immense war treasures of gold piled up; all 
possible hypothetical plans of campaign, offensive and defensive, 
studied and discussed; firearms, great and small, ceaselessly 
experimented upon and improved; civil measures subordinated 
to military, and statesmen to great army men and navy men. 
Within a few months I have read several articles on the defense 
of London in case of an attack from the continent. 

" Moreover, where all sorts of maneuvers for alliances are 
going on, there is wide-spread distrust of treaties and the 
national friendships that exist. Almost never before, I think, 
did so many nations of Europe feel themselves hopelessly iso- 
lated. Great Britain is in distress on this account; so is 



THERE SHALL BE A TIME OF TROUBLE Tf°5 

Germany. Family ties between crown-wearing persons amount 
to nothing. When Nicholas, of Muscovy, visited London a 
year ago, he sojourned some days in Germany both going and 
coming. On each occasion William besought his dear cousin, 
almost with tears, for some word of assurance that the Russians 
meant peace. 'Cousin,' was the reply, 'if you Germans wish 
security, make terms with France.' It was a stone instead of 
bread; insult, not comfort; yet it is said William dare not 
show resentment, remembering the size of the Muscovite army 
and its nearness to his eastern borders." 

Sefior Crispi, Italy's greatest statesman, says: "Europe 
resembles Spain from a certain point of view. Anarchy is 
dominant everywhere. To speak frankly, there is no Europe. 
The European concert is only a sinister joke. Nothing can 
be expected from the concert of the powers. We are marching 
towards the unknown. Who knows what to-morrow has in 
store for us?" 

It is unnecessary to comment on the foregoing quotations. 
They are but selections from utterances that are heard con- 
tinually from the platform and the press, and they show that 
many men are awake to the fact that a great storm is gath- 
ering. They see the " distress of nations," and are perplexed; 
their hearts are "failing them for fear, and for looking after 
those things which are coming on the earth;" they realize that 
"perilous times" have come, and see the rapidly-approaching 
"time of trouble." And yet, if they would only turn to the 
light of God's Word, and allow it to illuminate, purify, and 
cheer their hearts, they would know what it all means, and 
would not be "perplexed" nor "fear." We have already seen 
that the angels of God are commissioned to "hold" the "winds" 
of strife in check till all have a chance to flee to the safe shelter 
so divinely provided. When that restraining influence is with- 
drawn, the judgments of God will fall upon the persistently 
impenitent. 



306 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



In these "perilous times," and while "men's hearts are 
failing them for fear" because they see the unmistakable 
approach of that " time of trouble, such as never was since 
there was a nation," do not give the trumpet the uncertain 
sound. Do not say, "Peace, peace, when there is no peace;" 
but hold aloft the light of the blessed Bible, so that men may 
know its great prophecies and see that "city of refuge," whose 
bulwarks are laid by the all-powerful hand of Omnipotence; 
whose foundations are sure to all eternity; and whose inhab- 
itants shall never know sickness or sorrow. 





CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT 



• 

WE have been considering the Bible description of the 
conditions that will prevail all over the earth at the 
close of time. We have seen the inspired statements 
concerning the "time of trouble" and the last-day "perils;" we 
have read from the Book of God of the "waxing old" of the 
earth, and that "the sea and the waves" will be roaring; we 
have learned of the "angry" nations, and of those who oppress 
the laborer, and "heap treasure together for the last days;" we 
have found also that God has foretold the vice, the crime, the 
injustice, and the violence that will fill the land. Looking at 
this picture only, we see nothing but darkness, distress, and wo; 
but there is a great light shining through it all, and far above 
and beyond it. 

Will our heavenly Father allow Satan to curse the world 
with deceptions, and corrupting and distressing sins, and He do 
nothing to show the blessings and the joys of truth and good- 
ness? Will He allow the evil to lift its hideous though bedecked 
and gilded head to the most consummate heights of folly, that 
it may the more surely plunge men to the lowest depths of 

307 



308 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

wickedness and wo, and do nothing to expose the danger, 
and save the beguiled and deluded objects of His love? The 
first advent of Christ was heralded by the anthems of angels; 
the miraculous power and love of the Saviour were manifested in 
preaching to the poor, healing the sick, and raising the dead; at 
Pentecost there was a mighty outpouring of the Spirit of God; 
and will this dispensation, so wondrously begun in the demonstra- 
tion of divine power, be allowed to close in obscurity and weak- 
ness? Will its glorious light be made to flicker dimly, or be 
buried beneath the rubbish of this sinful time? — No, never, never! 

Without doubt the eighteenth chapter of Revelation presents 
the strongest, the most scathing, and the most heart-searching 
condemnation of the sins of the last generation, that can be 
found in the inspired Book. Read the entire chapter, and allow 
it to quicken your sense of the divine displeasure with wrong; 
but do not fail to observe closely the opening sentences: — 

"And after these things I saw another angel come down 
from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened 
with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, 
saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the 
habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage 
of every unclean and hateful bird." Verses i, 2. 

How sublime is the description of this mighty angel who 
lifts such a strong voice against the sins of Babylon ! This 
babel of evil that seeks by its corruptions completely to over- 
throw the last generation of men, must be exposed. Light 
must be thrown in upon these hidden, iniquitous works of 
darkness that make the last days "perilous," and cause an 
unprecedented "time of trouble;" and so the heavenly mes- 
senger is sent to "lighten the earth with his glory." Here is a 
promise that fires every emotion of the soul with the entrancing 
thought that in the very stronghold of iniquity, and amid its 
most desperate working, the Master exerts His mighty power, 
and "the earth is lightened with His glory." 



THE EARTH WAS LIGHTENED BY HIS GLORY 



309 



The Lord left the promise with His church that "these 
signs shall follow them that believe: In My name shall they 
cast out devils ; they shall speak with new tongues ; they shall 
take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall 
not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they 
shall recover." Mark 16:17, 18. 

The Master inspired one of His apostles to repeat this 




" And I saw another angel come down from 
heaven, having great power; and the earth 
was lightened with his glory." 



promise by saying, "God hath set some in the church, first 
apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that mir- 
acles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of 
tongues." 1 Cor. 12:28. 

It is true that soon after he uttered the foregoing assur- 
ances concerning the gifts He had placed in His church, a 
great apostasy began; it is true that the "mystery of iniquity" 
found its way into the hearts of those who professed the name 



3IO HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

of Christ, and what He once delighted to call His church became 
a wicked and cruel misrepresentation of His righteousness, His 
mercy, and His love. But after men had gone to the very 
depths of this apostasy; when they had bound themselves about 
with all the gloom and superstitions of the Dark Ages, then 
it was that they began to awaken to a realization of the crav- 
ing in the soul for something that could not be found in their 
pilgrimages, their penances, and their exacting forms of creed- 
bound service. Our God was folio wing them all the time. 
He yearned over them with love. He kept giving them all 
the light that their eyes, so used to darkness, could endure. 
And when the awakening time came/ His Word was again 
sought, and read as never before. The printing-press multi- 
plies copies of it; missionaries put it in other languages, and 
carry it to all the world; and the new day of Gospel light 
unfolds as fast as men will turn to God, and become the 
bearers of His gems of truth. 

The outgrowth of this light from God is the breaking of 
the shackles that have for so long enslaved men's minds. 
The world is encouraged to think, and the resultant monu- 
ments of thought rise to mountain heights in the marvelous 
material productions of this surpassing age. The Lord is 
leading; and if mankind would only follow, every one might 
be saved from the thraldom of sin, and be carried still higher 
and higher into the unfolding glories of the Eternal. 

As men are led to study and believe the Bible, some will 
be developed through whom God can manifest His "gifts" 
that He "has set" "in the church." To some will be given 
the "word of wisdom;" to others, the "word of knowledge;" 
to others, the "gift of faith;" to others, the "gifts of healings;" 
to others, the "working of miracles;" to others, the gift of 
"prophecy;" to others, the "discerning of spirits;" to others, 
the gift of "tongues;" and to others, the "interpretation of 
tongues." i Cor. 12:8-10. 



THE EARTH WAS LIGHTENED BY HIS GLORY 3 1 I 

That was a wonderful manifestation of the power of the 
Spirit of God, when at Pentecost the "gifts" worked power- 
fully in the church ; but under the outpouring of the Spirit in 
these last days, these gifts that formality and unbelief have 
driven out, will return to do a mightier work. Satan sees the 
unfolding of the Lord's great plan. He becomes enraged that 
he can not hold men in the superstitious errors of darkness. 
He plans in his most masterly way to deceive mankind. He 
can lead many into such gross crimes and vices that nothing 
short of the dawning judgment day will cause them to look 
up to God; others can be kept in a sort of genteel infidelity, 
that looks with pity upon him who believes the Word of the 
Lord ; but there are many others who, while they hold to the 
Bible, yet do so in a careless, nominal way, and without 
appropriating its vitalizing truth ; and special delusions must 
be prepared for these. Satan knows that God is educating 
His true followers, who are now scattered in every clime, and 
worshiping under so many denominational names, to do a 
mighty work. "It shall come to pass in the last days, saith 
God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh ; and your 
sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men 
shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams ; and 
on My servants and on My handmaidens I will pour out in 
those days of My Spirit; and they shall prophesy; and I will 
show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath ; 
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke ; the sun shall be turned 
into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and 
notable day of the Lord come ; and it shall come to pass, that 
whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." 
Acts 2 : 17-21. 

The evil one knows these prophecies concerning this mighty 
outpouring of God's Spirit "in the last days." He knows that 
God has said that a mighty angel has been commissioned to 
enlighten the earth with his glory; and if you have never before 



312 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

seen the cunning of Satan, witness the counterfeit "healers" 
and "faith cures" that he is sending out to flood the world 
with their pernicious and misleading notions. And those per- 
sons who hold to the Bible in a careless, indifferent way; the 
ones who do not dig for themselves into its great mines of 
truth, so that they may be fortified by a personal knowledge 
of just what God's own Word says, are the ones who will be 
most easily beguiled by the sophistries of Satan. 

If no other evidence can show you that God is preparing 
to do a marvelous work in these last days, under the outpouring 
of mighty pentecostal manifestations of His Spirit, just witness 
the counterfeits that are being sent out to discredit this on- 
coming work of the Lord. Men and women are rising up 
everywhere who talk glibly about the gifts of miracles and heal- 
ing that God has placed in the church. A superficial knowledge 
leads one to believe that all their teaching is warranted by 
Scripture ; but a deeper knowledge, a daily study of the Word, a 
devoted faith in its teaching, and a full surrender of the will to 
God — through which comes the possession of His "gift" of the 
"discerning of spirits" — are the only things that enable us to 
know whether these persons are pretenders, or whether they 
are sent out by the authority of Heaven and with power 
from on high. 

Of this one thing be sure: when the Master places His 
"gifts of healing" upon a man, that man will be able to say, 
as did Peter to the lame man at the gate of the temple, "In 
the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk;" and 
those words will contain the power of God and the malady 
must go. What God does is perfect, and there will be no 
doubt about the reality of the healing. The skill of a physician 
will not be needed to tell the patient that he is well; for the 
ruddy glow of health will testify that a soul has been breathed 
upon by omnipotent power. Men of faith may pray for the 
afflicted, and God's Word says that "the prayer of faith shall 



THE EARTH WAS LIGHTENED BY HIS GLORY 313 

save the sick" (James 5:15); but he who has the "gifts of 
healings" is commissioned of Heaven to command disease, 
and divine power obliges it at once to depart. 

But let it be remembered that there will appear what seem 
from every human standpoint to be miraculous healings, which 
are nevertheless not done by the power of God. We have 
already learned that, to enforce his great deceptions in the 
last days, Satan will work "with all power and signs and lying 
wonders." You may ask, "Why is he permitted thus to work? 
— It is that the malignant virus of sin may be made manifest, 
and its deceitful workings fully known; but God shows His 
care for His creatures by unmasking the monster of evil, so 
that all may know its real character. He also fills His Word 
with promises that enable every one to shun the charms of 
sin, and stand at all times in the blazing light and power of 
truth. Yes, the reader may even be one of those who join with 
the mighty angel in these closing hours of time in filling the 
earth with the light and glory of the Lord. 

It must be evident to any one who has taken the time to 
consider the Bible evidence, that the consummating conflict of 
all the ages is even right now upon the world. The forces 
of darkness, of crime, of sensuality, of sin, of destruction, are 
arrayed on the one hand, but rising as a star of hope on the 
other is the increasing light of Gospel truth and power. This 
Gospel light is destined to spread till all the world is filled 
with its splendid glory. There never were such issues in the 
world before to call out the unreserved heroism of service. 
Never before have men had the inspiration that comes from 
standing on the threshold of the resurrection, and of breathing, 
after only a little further period of waiting, the Eden perfumed 
zephyrs of the eternal world. Never before have men had 
every exalted and exulting emotion stirred by the definite 
knowledge that all the angels of heaven are being- marshaled 
to escort the King of eternity, the world's Redeemer, on His 



3H 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



triumphal advent journey to this needy and sinking world. 
Knowing that He would have men and women who would be 
possessed with such soul-absorbing themes as these, our heav- 
enly Father could safely foretell the enlightening of the whole 
earth with His divine glory. 

Tell it everywhere; tell it over and over again, "Glorious 
things are spoken of thee, O city of God!" Let all the world 
know that God sends His mighty angel from heaven, and 
the earth will be lightened with His glory. Receive the Word 
of God. Stand in the fulness of the power of faith ; and as 
our Father pours out His Spirit to accomplish His mighty 
work, He will use you as His instrument of righteousness, 
service, and glory. 



£S- 




1S§§ IN fH^^Sffl^OF DISTRESS 




CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE 



IN the consideration of these prophecies that are fulfilling in 
our time, it is clearly noticeable that the cities are all to 
be broken down because of their crimes and wickedness. 
Hence there must come a time at no distant day when every 
one who hears and respects the Word of God will take his 
family, and retire from the city to a safer and more secluded 
place. Some, no doubt, will be needed in the cities until near 
the very last day of time, to give the message of the soon 
coming of Christ, and to show men that the end of all things 
is at hand. But there will be many women and children, and 
some men as well, that it would be useless and distressing to 
expose to the sufferings and evils that will exist in these con- 
gested centers of population. In view of these things it is 
high time now that every one who has the responsibility of a 
family should be casting about for some secluded country 
retreat in which to give them a haven of rest. 

In the time of the French Revolution and Reign of Ter- 
ror the violence of the time was confined almost wholly to 
Paris and a few of. the leading cities adjacent to this capital 
of the nation. There were large out-lying country districts 
that hardly knew of the raging of the Revolution, much less 
felt its dire distress. Happy indeed were the people in that 

315 



31 6 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

time who stayed by the pleasant and peaceful occupatioxz of 
tilling the soil. To them there was but little knowledge or 
fear of the Revolution, and they had none of the miseries that 
were shaking the empire. The history of that time may offer 
some suggestions and consolations in regard to these times 
that are now confronting us. 

One of the noticeable facts of recent years is the growing 
dislike for the farm and agricultural pursuits in general. In 
consequence of this sentiment there has been a corresponding 
flocking to the cities. It is a well-known fact that the cities 
are growing in population altogether out of proportion to the 
rest of the country. This very tendency to leave the farm 
will make numerous openings for those who would seek the 
quietude of peace in the country places. 

The farm is the natural place for man. Everything that 
we have to live upon must come from the husbandman. When 
God created man in the beginning, He put him in a garden; 
He did not put him in a city. City life is unnatural, cramped, 
and also unpleasant to the one who has tasted of the real 
sweets and substances of the country. But no matter what 
our sentiments may be in this direction, there are conditions 
here that we must take into account, and conduct ourselves 
accordingly. The man who has his eyes open to the things 
that are coming upon the cities in this our time, and who fails 
to provide for as much peace and quiet for his family as he 
can possibly obtain, can not be guiltless. 

While we should be getting out of the cities as fast as we 
can arrange for it, yet we must not allow ourselves to become 
so alarmed as to flee from duty; for there is work yet to be 
done in these cities, and the thing for each one to decide is 
what is his duty for to-day; and then manfully stand by it, 
even if it is necessary for him to suffer everything that is 
known in the field of persecuting torture. God wants sensible 
men and also brave men in these times, and He has prom- 



A REFUGE IN THIS TIME OF DISTRESS 317 

ised the wisdom that will enable us each one to know day by 
day what we should do. 

But even while prosecuting any of the work of giving the 
Gospel message of the soon coming of Christ in the cities, 
we can be studying the country, and seeking to learn how to 
care for ourselves and families there when we are at last com- 
pelled to flee from the cities altogether. The essential work 
in country life is to know how to till the soil so as to get a 
livelihood out of it. Since it is from the soil that all must 
get their living, it is a splendid idea for every one to be 
studying to know how to get the greatest possible yield from 
the ground. 

Some will not heed these warnings of the prophetic Word 
of God until they are driven to sorest straits, and then it will 
be very difficult for them to drop suddenly out of city life, 
and make a living in the country. Hence it will be necessary 
for those who can see, right now, through these prophecies, 
what is coming on the world, to have also in mind the work 
of being able to help all who will be thrown into distress. 

The thought also may occur to some, if the Lord is com- 
ing so soon, why should it be necessary to provide for living 
in the country for a time, away from the violence and vices 
of the cities, and away from the dangers as the cities are 
being broken down under the judgments of God? It will take 
some time to give the warning message of the Gospel of the 
kingdom in all the world; and while the forces are gathering 
that will result in the destruction of the cities, and while the 
evils in general that the prophecies point out as characteristic 
of the last days are being spread as a dark cloud over the 
earth, there is no necessity of exposing the weak unneces- 
sarily to these things; and as these evils that are to make 
the last days perilous will continue to grow worse all the time, 
it behooves every one to make the escape, particularly for his 
family, before things become so bad that it will be next to 



318 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

impossible. We must not content ourselves with the idea that 
since we can live in the city to-day with comparative safety, 
therefore we may be able to stay for an indefinitely long time 
yet. By pursuing such a course we may become callous to 
our surroundings, and like some of the relatives of Lot of 
old these very warnings sent by the Lord to save us are 
made the subject of jesting and mockery until the whirlwind 
of destruction sweeps us away. 

It is a pleasure to note that some are so charmed with 
country life that the ordinary language of prose is inadequate 
to express their feelings, and so they are led to adopt the 
sublimer language of poetry. It is hoped that they, with all 
others who have a realizing sense of the situation, will con- 
tinue to use every influence they can command to turn the 
minds of men and women away from the distresses that await 
the cities and toward the more natural and more-to-be-enjoyed 
country life. 

"Back to the land, my brothers, one and all! 
Watch the wild rains across the forests fall ; 
Back to the land with all thy heart- and soul, 
Scatter fresh seed where the moist furrows roll, — 
Hark how God speaks when the fierce thunders call. 

"There's very ecstasy of growth in spring, 
Flashing in music to the robin's wing; 
The budding vines race heedlessly along, 
Lured by the sweetness in the bluebird's song, — 
And all new moons fresh joys to lovers bring. 

1 ' Back to the land ! Leave the foul money marts, 
Wet with the life-blood of a million hearts. 

Down on your knees, and watch the springing seed 
Unfold and follow as the sunbeams lead. 
('I am God's work!' — that is the simple creed.) 
Oh, better this than all the world-made arts ! 

' ' The great, wide wheat belts sleep through dew and night, 
Waiting the rapture of the morning light ; 



A REFUGE IN THIS TIME OF DISTRESS 319 

The small, sparse corn fields of the toiling poor 
For very joy laugh round the cottage door; 
And, over them, the mountains' towering height ! 

"Back to the hills that the first herdsmen knew; 
Watch the young pigeons homing down the blue, 
Glad that no cruel shot their days may end ; 
Glad of the rudest shepherd for a friend. 
Ay, watch the changeless stars the still night through. 

"O, sick, sad soul! made weary of the waste 
Of what adds naught, now, to the outworn taste, 

That, passing, leaves its gold-gain — ah, to whom, . 

Since, dead, thou tak'st but thyself to the tomb? 
To the green, cleansing land, poor heart, make haste. 

"Back to the land, the good, green, happy land! 
Back to the laborers with the hardened hand! 
Back to the truth that the old prophets saw; 
The land is good, I made it ! is God's law. 
We see it, though we may not understand." 

— Millie W. Carpenter. 

But the most inspiring utterances in regard to the situa- 
tion that is before us, and the most assuring expressions con- 
cerning the advantages of country life, are the promises of the 
Lord Himself. Some of these sacred words follow, and it is 
to be hoped that every sentence will be studied closely, and 
fully absorbed: — 

"Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; 

And dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee ! 

When thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled ; 

And when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal 

treacherously with thee. 
O Lord, be gracious unto us ; we have waited for Thee : 
Be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble. 
At the noise of the tumult the people fled ; 
At the lifting up of Thyself the nations were scattered. 
And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpillar ! 
As the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them. 
20 



320 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

The Lord is exalted ; for He dwelleth on high ; 

He hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness. 

And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength 
of salvation : 

The fear of the Lord is His treasure. 

Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without : 

The ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly. 

The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth : 

He hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth 
no man. 

The earth mourneth and languisheth : Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down : 

Sharon is like a wilderness ; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits. 

Now will I rise, saith the Lord; 

Now will I be exalted ; 

Now will I lift up Myself. 

Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble : 

Your breath, as fire, shall devour you. 

And the people shall be as the burnings of lime : 

As thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire. 

Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done ; 

And, ye that are near, acknowledge My might. 

The sinners in Zion are afraid ; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. 

Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? 

Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? 

He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; 

He that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from hold- 
ing of bribes, 

That stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from 
seeing evil ; 

He shall dwell on high : his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks : 

Bread shall be given him ; his waters shall be sure. 

Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty : 

They shall behold the land that is very far off." Isa. 33: 1-17. 

The prophet, in the foregoing scripture, directs our atten- 
tion to the time of the "devouring fire," and to the "ever- 
lasting burnings;" he also tells us that "thine eyes shall see 
the King in His beauty." It is plain to be seen that these 
expressions refer to the calamities and difficulties through 



A REFUGE IN THIS TIME OF DISTRESS 



321 



which the world will pass in the last days, and also to the 
second coming of Christ, when we shall see the "King in 
His beauty." But even though the righteous be called upon 
to dwell in the midst of all these calamities that come in the 
world in the last days, yet do they have the promise that 
"he that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly," "shall 
dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of 
rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure." 





CHAPTER THIRTY 



SOME of the scriptures have been presented that show the 
working of Satan in the last days. His last struggle to 
engulf the world in sin and pestilential disease culminates 
in the seven last plagues. The words of Scripture that foretell 
what these plagues will be are both literal and plain, and with 
so many of the facts concerning these closing years of earth's 
history before us, but little need be said upon the subject aside 
from quoting the Scripture itself. The Word reads as follows: 
" I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven 
angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the 
wrath of God. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled 
with fire ; and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, 
and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of 
his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. 
And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the 
song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, 
Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King 
of saints. Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy 
name? for Thou only art holy; for all nations shall come and 
worship before Thee; for Thy judgments are made manifest. 
322 



THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES ^> 2 3 

"And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the 
tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened ; and the 
seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, 
clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded 
with golden girdles. And one of the four beasts ["living 
creatures," R. V.j, gave unto the seven angels seven golden 
vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth forever and ever. 
And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, 
and from His power; and no man w T as able to enter into the 
temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled. 

"And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to 
the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of 
the wrath of God upon the earth. 

"And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the 
earth ; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the 
men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which 
worshiped his image. 

"And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; 
and it became as the blood of a dead man ; and every living 
soul died in the sea. 

"And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers 
and fountains of waters ; and they became blood. And I 
heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O 
Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because Thou hast 
judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and 
prophets, and Thou hast given them blood to drink; for they 
are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even 
so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments. 

"And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; 
and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And 
men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name 
of God, which hath power over these plagues; and they repented 
not to give Him glory. 

"And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat 



324 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



of the beast ; and his kingdom 

was full of darkness; and they 

gnawed their tongues for pain, 

and blasphemed the God of heaven 

because of their pains and their. sores, 

and repented not of their deeds. 

"And the sixth angel poured out his 
vial upon the great river Euphrates; and 
the water thereof was dried up, that the 
way of the kings of the east might be 
prepared. And I saw three unclean 
spirits like frogs come out of the mouth 
of the dragon, and out of the mouth of 
the beast, and out of the mouth of the 
false prophet. For they are the spirits 
of devils, working miracles, which go 
forth unto the kings of the earth and 
of the whole world, to gather them 
to the battle of that great day of 
God Almighty. Behold, I come 
as a thief. Blessed is he that 
watcheth, and keepeth his gar- 
ments, lest he walk naked, and 
they see his shame. And he 
gathered them together 
into a place called 
in the Hebrew 
tongue Arma- 
geddon. 



"And the first [angel] 
•went and poured out his 
vial upon the earth; and 
there fell a noisome and 
grevious sore upon the 
men which had the mark 
of the beast, and upon 
them which worshiped 
his image." 




THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES 



325 



"And the seventh angel poured out his 
vial into the air ; and there 
came a great voice out of 
the temple of heaven, from 
the throne, saying, It is 
done. And there were 
voices, and thunders, and lightnings ; and 
there was a great earthquake, such as was 
not since men were . upon the earth, so 
mighty an earthquake, and so great. And 
the great city was divided into three parts, 
and the cities of the nations fell ; and great 
Babylon came in remembrance before 
God, to give unto her the cup of the wine 
of the fierceness of His wrath. And 
every island fled away, and the mountains 
were not found. And there fell upon 
men a great hail out of heaven, every 
stone about the weight of a talent; 
and men blasphemed 
of the 
plague 
of the 
hail; 
for the 
plague 
thereof 
was ex- 
ceeding 
great." 



"And the second an- 
gel poured out his vial 
upon the sea; and . . . 
every living soul died 
in the sea." 





326 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



Thus reads the prophecy of John in Revel 
chapters 15 and 16. 

The overwhelming mass of sins in the 
last days, both among hypocritical profess 
ors and in the non-professing world, 
are committed in defiance of the 
greatest manifestation of the light of 
the Gospel that has ever illuminated 
the minds of men. None will be 
able to plead ignorance. God has 
sent His mighty agencies to lighten the 
earth with His glory. And yet, in spite 
of all this, men give themselves up to 
"every imagination" of evil; they fill the 
earth with violence, vice, and injustice ; 
and because there is no justice in the 
land, the great Judge Himself takes 
His throne, and in these "seven last 
plagues " metes out the just penalties 
that this wicked generation has 
hitherto eluded. 

In these "seven last plagues," 
it is said, "is filled up the wrath of 
God." But do not harbor the 
thought that the "wrath of God" 
is in any way akin to the murder- 
ous, vindictive wrath of sinful 
man. Man indulges in wrath the 
same as in any other sin. Human 
anger is aroused by some selfish 
impulse, by a desire for revenge, 
and to gratify vindictive hate, or 
possibly to resent something that 




'And the third angel poured out his vial 



insults human pride or notions of i^Tbecam^ 



THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES 



327 



manliness. All of this is sin. It is the sin that is the very 
tap-root of murder. " Whosoever hateth his brother is a mur- 
derer," says the apostle ; "and ye know that no murderer hath 
eternal life abiding in him." 

Then it is evident that the wrath which God condemns in 
men, and which He defines as murder, is another thing alto- 
gether from the "wrath of 
God." Many persons have 
been greatly troubled be- 
cause the Bible speaks of 
God's "wrath;" and no won- 
der, if they have the concep- 
tion that God's wrath is the 
same as the revengeful, furi- 
ous, sinful anger of fallen 
man. Cease forever to re- 
gard our heavenly Father 
in the light of doing that 
which He forbids as murder 
in one of the great precepts 
of His decalogue! 

No! Look at this mat- 
ter in its true light. The 
people of this generation are 
rushing headlong into the 
most corrupting evils that 
satanic influence can sug- 
gest — doing it under the 
blaze of the greatest light 
that Heaven can throw 
around them ; doing it in 
defiance of the strongest 
convictions of right ; doing 
the'sW' the fourth ansd poured ° ut his vial upon it despite the most tender 




328 



"? 



-; . ■ 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

and touching appeals of mercy; 
and by the most heartless spurning 
of the tenderest, and the deepest, 
and the most clinging love. And 
when no pure impulse is any longer 
felt ; when the awful depths 
are reached where ' 'every im- 
agination of the thoughts" of 
men's hearts is ''only evil 
^£& continually," then, and not 
till then, it is that our 
Father sorrowfully metes out 
the punishment that even the 
wicked themselves will finally 
say they more than rightly 
deserve. 

"Say unto them, As I live, 
saith the Lord God, I have no 






"And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon 
the seat oi the beast." 



"And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon 
the great river Euphrates." 



THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES 



329 



pleasure in the death of the wicked; but 
that the wicked turn from his way and 
live; turn ye, turn ye from your evil 
ways ; for why will ye die, O house of 
Israel?" Eze. 33:11. Hear this en- 
treaty of a Father's love: "Turn ye, turn 
ye from your evil ways; for why will 
ye die?" 

"To-day the Saviour calls! 
For refuge fly; 
The storm of vengeance falls; 
Ruin is nigh. 

"The Spirit calls to-day! 
Yield to its power; 
Oh, grieve it not away; 
'Tis mercy's hour." 

The Master has sent out His 
warnings against the evils of this 
time. They are speaking plainly 
in the calamities that are multiply- 
ing in the earth. He has told the 
world of the " seven last 
plagues" that will soon 
be visited upon the per- 
sistent transgressor. He 
is moving all heaven to 
touch the sinner by His 
grace, so that He may 
save him from this ruin. 
Oh, who will heed this 
warning? Is it possible 
for anyone to spurn so 
devoted and faithful a 
Friend? 





"And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and 
there . . . were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and 
there was a great earthquake." 



f=ORTBESS 




CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE 



THE "time of trouble, such as never was since there was a 
nation," is rapidly drawing en. But in the presence of 
these accumulating- perils we hav r e a Refuge. The arm of 
our omnipotent Father is stretched out to protect and rescue us. 

But the reader may be among those who are loaded with 
corrupting vice and polluting sins, — among those who are 
unjust, oppressive, and cruel. If so, there is encouragement in 
the Word even for all such; for it says, "This is a faithful 
saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came 
into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." i Tim. 
1:15. He saves to the uttermost all "that come unto God by 
him." Heb. 7:25. Is it possible to get beyond "the utter- 
most"? Even the "chief" of sinners is called. Indeed, the 
Lord could call none others in this world but sinners; "for all 
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Rom. 3:23. 

"Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your 
doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do 
well ; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, 
plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, 
saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as 
white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be 
as wool." Isa. 1:16-18. 
(330) 



OUR REFUGE AND FORTRESS 



331 



"Scarlet" and "crimson" are indelible colors; yet the Lord 
promises that though our sins are like "scarlet" He will make 
them as "snow," and "though they be red like crimson, they 
shall be as wool." He saves to "the uttermost" even the 
"chief of sinners." What more could be asked? What more 
could be given? 

We may be at a loss to know how He can cleanse such vile 
sinners, but there is comfort in the thought that God can do 
many things that we can not understand. We do not know 
how an acorn grows into naught else than the oak, while a 
grain of wheat planted by its side will just as invariably produce 
nothing but its own kind. Can you tell how this is ? The 
answer is readily made that "it is nature." But "nature" did 
not create itself, neither does it generate the power that is so 
manifest in its workings. It is our heavenly Father who 
created and sustains all this perfect and beautiful manifestation 
of life that we (and so often without a thought of what we are 
saying) call "nature." Nature is matter obeying the voice of 
» God. It is the Father in heaven, all-powerful, ever present, 
and ever working, who produces all this wonderful life and 
activity in the natural world. 

Know, then, O sinner, that Jesus is infinite in salvation's 
power! He who commands all the mighty and mysterious 
forces of nature, says that though your sins be of the deepest 
dye, they shall be as white as the snow. Then "seek ye the 
Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is 
near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man 
his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and He will 
have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly 
pardon. For 'My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are 
your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are 
higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, 
and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh 
down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, 



332 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, 
that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater; so 
shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth ; it shall 
not return unto Me. void, but it shall accomplish that which I 
please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." 
Isa. 55:6-11. Read these promises, meditate upon them, 
believe them, and the Spirit of God will comfort and strengthen 
the heart through them. 

It may be that, though a child of God, your heart is ''failing" 
"for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming 
on the earth." Perhaps the increasing and awfully destructive 
storms and earthquakes, and the general commotion in nature, 
inspire terror. But it should not be so. God promises: "Thou 
shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow 
that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in 
darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A 
thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right 
hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes 
shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because 
thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most 
High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither 
shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." Ps. 91 :5-io. 

"Thou shalt not be afraid." How soul-satisfying is this 
word! The Lord does not merely admonish us not to be 
afraid; He does not say simply that we ought not to fear; but 
He asserts that we "shall not be afraid." "For He shall give 
His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 
They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot 
against a stone." Ps. 91:11, 12. 

If any are fearful because of the famines that will become 
more and more prevalent as the earth "waxes old," the Word 
says: "He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; 
he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands 
from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of 



OUR REFUGE AND FORTRESS 



333 



blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing- evil ; he shall dwell 
on high; his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: 

BREAD SHALL BE GIVEN HIM ; HIS WATERS SHALL BE SURE. Thine 

eyes shall see the King in his beauty ; they shall behold the 
land that is very far off." Isa. 33:. 15-17. "They shall not 
be ashamed in the evil time ; and in the days of famine they 
shall be satisfied. " Ps. 37:19. 

Again the Lord says: "When thou passest through the 
waters, I will be with thee ; and through the rivers, they 
shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, 
thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon 
thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, 
thy Saviour." Isa. 43:2, 3. "No weapon that is formed 
against thee shall prosper ; and every tongue that shall rise 
against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the 
heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness 
is of Me, saith the Lord." Isa. 54:17. 

There are no conditions nor difficulties, even in the worst 
possibilities of the present, or in the portentous days that are 
just ahead of us, that God does not penetrate with promises 

that bring hope and comfort and 
strength. 

Satan has summoned all his malig- 
nant power in his last and supreme 
effort to oppress and destroy the people 
of God ; but their danger appeals to the 
tender mercy and love of their Father ; 




He brought His people out of that dark "land, " with a mighty hand, . . . and with signs and 
with wonders." 



334 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

and, as expressed in the sublimest of inspired prophecy, there 
will be heard the shout of the Eternal: " Awake, awake, put on 
strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, 
in the generations of old. Art Thou not it that hath cut 
Rahab, and wounded the dragon ? Art Thou not it which 
hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep ; that hath 
made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass 
over?" Isa. 51:9, 10. 

The Lord did wonderful things in the land of Egypt ; He 
brought His people out of the bondage, the gross idolatry 
and sin of that dark land, " with a mighty hand, and with an 
outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, 
and with wonders;" but with a mightier and more glorious 
display of His love and power will He take them out Ox the 
accumulating corruptions, the debasing sins and evils of this 
time. God's exercise of power in that time was abundant in 
saving His people from Pharaoh's cruel tyranny; but in this 
time, when Satan is concentrating all his forces of evil, equipped 
with all the experience and training of the long reign of sin 
and crime, the occasion demands a corresponding exercise of 
divine majesty and might. "The Lord also shall roar out of 
Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens 
and the earth shall shake; but the Lord will be the hope of His 
people, and the strength of the children of Israel." Joel 3: 16. 

How soul-inspiring is the thought that the "last days" 
are reached, and that in our time the Lord will fulfil His 
Word that says: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, 
that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought 
up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, The 
Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the 
land of the north, and from all the lands whither He had 
driven them; and I will bring them again into their land that 
I gave unto their fathers." Jer. 16: 14, 15. In that time the 
Lord took His Israel from Egypt to an earthly Canaan; but 



OUR REFUGE AND FORTRESS 335 

in this time He gathers them from every part of the world to 
lead them into His heavenly and eternal Canaan. How glori- 
ous, then, must this final deliverance be, when it so outshines 
the mighty works of God in Egypt, and is made to stand 
forth as the one monumental illustration for all eternity of 
the glorious working of the mighty power of God! " There- 
fore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with 
singing unto Zion ; and everlasting joy shall be upon their 
head ; they shall obtain gladness and joy ; and sorrow and 
mourning shall flee away." Isa. 51:11. 

It is only the poetry of inspiration and the inspiration of 
poetry that can thus express the "glorious things" that "are 
spoken of thee, O city of God." Then happy will it be for 
us if we stand upon the foundation of God's sure Word, so 
that we may recognize the heralds of that morning that is so 
soon to break and disclose to every watchful eye and waiting 
heart the satisfying realities of the eternal day. And as it 
becomes more and more evident that our Saviour is soon 
coming, let us pray with the beloved John, "Even so, come, 
Lord Jesus." 




21 




[HE, TRIUMPHANT VICTORY 4ND EVERLASTING. REWARD 



* 9! KS£P^J9$S!p?^**^ < ^^ 



CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO 



OU R heavenly Father does not merely point out the 
dangers of the times in which we live, and tell us 
what they mean, but He lifts our minds over these 
difficulties and calamities and destructions, and fastens them 
upon the completeness of our final victory, and the riches of 
our eternal reward. The sublime language of the Apocalypse 
gives a brief description of the song of deliverance and vic- 
tory that shall be sung in that day. Of that time we read: 
"And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire; and 
them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over 
his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his 
name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. 
And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and 
the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Thy 
works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, 
Thou King of saints. Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and 
glorify Thy name? for Thou only art holy; for all nations shall 
come and worship before Thee; for Thy judgments are made 
manifest." Rev. 15:2-4. 

The scripture presented in the preceding paragraph reveals 

to us a company who have gained a great victory. They are 

336 



THE TRIUMPHANT VICTORY AND EVERLASTING REWARD 2>2>7 

seen standing with the harps of God, and, in a chorus too 
grand for human words to describe, they make heaven ring 
with their triumphant song. Oh, the thought of being in that 
chorus! A single moment of that eternity of joy is worth 
more than all that earth has to offer. And the Lord has bid- 
den that the glorious news shall be heralded that every one 
is invited to be there. Every precaution must be taken that 
no delusion shall overthrow us, and thus rob us of that rich 
reward. 

There can be no question about the fullness and the glory 
of the sure victory that is but a very short space ahead of every 
trusting, waiting child of God. It is for each one to decide 
now whether he will be in that victory, and reap that joy. 

Having passed through the victory, we enter upon the 
reward of which the prophet has chanted : — 

"Oh, that Thou wouldest rend the heavens, that Thou wouldest come down, 
That the mountains might flow down at Thy presence, as when the melting 

fire burneth, 
The fire causeth the waters to boil, to make Thy name known to Thine 

adversaries, 
That the nations may tremble at Thy presence ! 
When Thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, Thou earnest 

down, 
The mountains flowed down at Thy presence. 
For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, 
Nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, 
O God, beside Thee, what He hath prepared for him that waiteth for Him." 

Isa. 64 : 1-4. 

A New Testament comment on the foregoing words of 
Isaiah reads: "It is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which 
God hath prepared for them .that love Him. But God hath 
revealed them unto us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth 
all things, yea, the deep things of God." 1 Cor. 2 : 9, 10. 
Man can not of himself discover what the Lord has in store 



33% HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

for him in the future world. "But God hath revealed them 
unto us by His Spirit." 

So great is this reward that men could never gain even 
the faintest conception of it in this life, did not God reveal 
its glory through the powerfully-illuminating influences of His 
Spirit. While it is understood and believed by all Christians 
that there will be perfect happiness in the world to come, yet 
all do not know what the Word of God tells us in regard to 
the realities and literal joys of our eternal abode. We are 
very particular to have a very definite and positive under- 
standing in regard to the things of this life, but we do not 
all learn the definite truth that God has revealed in His Word 
concerning the home in which we are to spend eternity. If 
men would only take the time to inform themselves in regard 
to what the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth, has in 
store for every one who will stand for truth and righteous- 
ness, every dismal cloud would be swept away, and all the 
dark and painful recesses of the soul would be flooded with 
light and joy. 

We need only to give respectful and thoughtful attention 
to the plain words of the Lord in order to see the very 
definite plan that He has for our future and eternal home. 
Notice the import of these following words from Isaiah: — 

' ' Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation ; 
Ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end. 
For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens, 
God Himself that formed the earth, and made it; 
He hath established it, He created it not in vain, 
He formed it to be inhabited: 
I am the Lord; and there is none else. 
I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth ; 
I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye Me in vain ; 
I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right." 
Isa. 45 : 17-19. 

The Lord tells us in the foregoing words that He formed 



THE TRIUMPHANT VICTORY AND EVERLASTING REWARD 339 

the earth to be inhabited, and that He did not create it in 
vain. Every one knows that the righteous God did not create 
this earth to be inhabited by a race of sinners. Such a course 
would not be right, but God says, "I declare things that are 
right." Then we are to conclude that the Lord formed this 
earth to be inhabited by a race of right-doing people. He 
formed it to be a place of happiness and not a place of sor- 
row, as it has been for so many centuries. But man sinned, 
and for the time being it might seem to those who have not 
taken the time to study God's plan, that the Lord has been 
thwarted in His design. But such is not the case. All sin 
and every unrepentant sinner will be destroyed out of this 
earth, and it will be refashioned in all the perfection that 
clothed it in the beginning, and thus become the eternal 
abode of the redeemed. If the thought of this earth being 
cleansed from all sorrow and evil, and then becoming the 
eternal habitation of the redeemed, seems strange or fanciful 
to you, do not dismiss the subject too speedily, but study it 
further. You may be able to see that it is neither strange 
nor fanciful, and above all may find that it is decidedly 
scriptural. 

When God created this earth, He had a very definite object 
in view. But it seems that the problem of evil had to be 
worked out somewhere, and for causes that we may not be 
able to understand now the conflict came to this earth. How- 
ever, before the dark head of wickedness had been lifted here, 
just at the close of the Creator's work of making this world 
and placing man upon it, He said, "And God saw everything 
that He had made, and behold it was very good." A little 
after this statement was made we have the record of the fall 
of man. After man had descended to sin, the Lord told him : 
"Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat 
of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it 
bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 



34° HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return 
unto the ground ; for out of it wast thou taken ; for dust thou 
art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Gen. 3:17-19. 

The record does not say that the Lord cursed man because 
he had sinned, "but He cursed the ground for man's sake. It 
is to help man — or possibly it would be more proper to say 
that it is for the purpose of keeping man from falling so low 
that he could never be reached — that this curse is put upon 
the ground. For after the ground is cursed, mankind must 
contend against the thorn and thistle and all the rest of the 
tribe of weeds that they represent. He must now toil till his 
face sweats, in order to sustain his life. In this ceaseless 
round of toil he does not have the opportunity to sink into 
the vices and crimes that come with idleness. There is a 
dignity and power in labor that tends upward all the time. 
But it is only the perfectly right and pure man who can trust 
himself with the unlimited leisure that would be found if there 
was no curse. 

Anywhere we go on the face of this earth we find the 
crop of weeds in any soil that is not closely and carefully 
cultivated. Many have wondered why it is that weeds will 
grow anywhere and everywhere spontaneously. Some have 
suggested the idea that the little birds carry the seed. But 
the simple, plain facts in the case are that God has said, 
"Cursed is the ground for thy sake," and, "Thorns also and 
thistles shall it bring forth to thee." Hence, everywhere man 
goes on the face of the earth he must contend against the 
curse that a wise heavenly Father has placed upon the ground 
for his sake. That word that God spoke in the beginning is 
the scientific reason for the weeds springing up everywhere. 
It will continue so to be until the curse is finally removed. 

The perfectly complete way in which this curse will at last 
be removed is told in the following New Testament prophecy 
and promise : — 



THE TRIUMPHANT VICTORY AND EVERLASTING REWARD 34 1 

"There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after 
their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His com- 
ing? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as 
they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they 
willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens 
were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in 
the water ; whereby the world that then was, being overflowed 
with water, perished ; but the heavens and the earth, which 
are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto 
fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly 
men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that 
one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, arid a thousand 
years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His 
promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering 
to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all 
should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will 
come as a thief in the night ; in the which the heavens shall 
pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt 
with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are 
therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things 
shall be dissolved, what manner of persons' ought ye to be in 
all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting 
unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens 
being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt 
with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, 
look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth right- 
eousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such 
things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, 
without spot, and blameless." 2 Peter 3:3-14. 

The foregoing scripture tells us that God's plan is to melt 
over this old earth, reeking beneath its curse, in the judgment 
fires of the last day. It also tells us that ungodly men will 
go into perdition at the same time. The elements of the earth 
are to "melt with fervent heat;" they are to be "dissolved." 



342 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

While the earth is thus to be "dissolved" back into its original 
gaseous elements, it is said that the "works that are therein 
shall be burned up". 

But notwithstanding this melting, burning process, "Never- 
theless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens 
and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." Fire is 
one of the greatest purifying agents known; and it is this 
agency that the Lord will use in purging away from the earth 
the curse of every vestige of "thorn and thistle," and then 
out of this molten material there arises a new creation. God 
does creation's work so far as this world is concerned all over 
again; and one of the grandest thoughts in connection with 
it all is that all the redeemed sons and daughters of Adam 
will be eye-witnesses of the great creative scene. We will 
have passed through every trial, have come victorious out of 
every difficulty, and at last will stand with our Creator while 
He puts our planet through its baptism of fire and fashions it 
again into the abode of eternal righteousness. This is a theme 
that is calculated to call forth the liveliest and the highest forms 
of the imagination. Yet, while this is so, the theme is not 
an imaginative one. It is not the presentation of a fanciful 
theory. It is the simple setting forth of literal fact in the 
plain, direct language of God's own promises. To attempt 
to argue the case would not only be useless, but it might result 
in dragging a shade of obscurity over the face of one of the 
clearest as well as one of the most beautiful truths. 

Another one of the scriptures that present these new earth 
scenes, and give these promises of joy and glory in our re- 
deemed Eden home, is the following: — 

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth ; for the first 
heaven and the first earth were passed away ; and there was no 
more sea. And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, 
coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride 
adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of 



THE TRIUMPHANT VICTORY AND EVERLASTING REWARD 343 

heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, 
and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, 
and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And 
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall 
be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall 
there be any more pain; for the former things are passed 
away. And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I 
make all things new. And He said unto me, Write; for 
these words are true and faithful." Rev. 21:1-5. Thus do 
the Scriptures in multiplied passages bring before us the new 
heavens and the new earth. And thus do they show that 
"the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the 
mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began," will 
include the renewing of the earth, its cleansing from sin, and 
its presentation to the redeemed as their eternal home. The 
beautiful Eden that was lost through sin will also be restored 
through the redemption work of our Saviour Jesus Christ. 
Then will come the glorious realization of that other scene 
viewed by the apostle John on Patmos, and thus described 
by him: "And I saw, and I heard a voice of many angels 
round about the throne and the living creatures and the elders ; 
and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, 
and thousands of thousands; saying with a great voice, Worthy 
is the Lamb that hath been slain to receive the power, and 
riches, and wisdom, and might, and honor, and glory, and 
blessing. And every created thing which is in the heaven, 
and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and 
all things that are in them, heard I saying, Unto Him that 
sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb, be the blessing, 
and the honor, and the glory, and the dominion, forever and 
ever." Rev. 5:11-13, R. V. It is said of. those who join 
in this indescribable anthem of victory that "they reign on 
the earth." This triumphant chorus of praise to the Majesty 
of heaven takes place at a time when there is not a discordant 



344 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

note of sin in all the great universe of God. "Every created 
thing' engages in the song with heart and soul and mind. 

What a thrill of joy is awakened at the thought of being 
there! No soul on earth can afford to miss such an oppor- 
tunity. Who can afford to slight the invitation that the Lord 
has so graciously extended to "every creature"? When this 
old earth shall be dissolved, and when every particle of sin 
is burned out of it, and when the new heaven and the new 
earth shall come forth out of the molten and purified elements, 
and when all the immortal beauty of this new creation shall 
be unfolded in the presence of the redeemed, and under the 
unobstructed gaze of their immortal eyes, if we are not there 
to join in the shouts of joy and triumph, how terrible will be 
our everlasting mistake and our everlasting loss ! 

The substantial reward that is before the truly loyal fol- 
lowers of Christ can be but feebly described by any human 
instrumentality. The Spirit that searcheth the deep things of 
God must be sought for our illuminating guide. 

The most beautiful spot on the whole face of this earth 
has some of the tracings of the curse upon it to mar its present 
beauty so that the mind may be directed to the faultless splen- 
dor of Eden redeemed. Our God would not have us fix our 
affections on the passing things of this life or of this world, 
but would have us see and lay hold on that which will endure 
forever. • With these clear promises of the redeeming of the 
earth before us, let us turn to that wonderful prophetic descrip- 
tion of what its redeemed conditions will be ; and, as we read 
it, let us ask that God's Spirit may make a living picture of 
its every expression upon the sensitized films of our souls. 
The description of the earth in its redeemed condition is in 
the language of Isaiah, and reads: — 

"The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the 

desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. 
It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing : 



THE TRIUMPHANT VICTORY AND EVERLASTING REWARD 345 

The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel 

and Sharon, 
They shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God. 
Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. 
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not : 
Behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense ; 

He will come and save you. 
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall 

be unstopped. 
Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb 

sing : 
For in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. 
And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs 

of water : 
In the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds 

and rushes. 
And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the 

way of holiness ; 
The unclean shall not pass over it ; but it shall be for those : 
The wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. 
No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it 

shall not be found there; 
But the redeemed shall walk there: and the ransomed of the Lord shall 

return, 
And come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads : 
They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." 

Isaiah, Chapter 35. 

The foregoing is a description of the new earth when the 
"ransomed of the Lord" have entered it with "everlasting joy 
upon their heads." And when that time comes, all the glory 
of the far-famed forests of Lebanon shall be given to it, and 
all the blossoming and fragrant splendor of Carmel and Sharon 
shall be drawn down to transform every desert and miasmic 
bog into the pictured realities of the fields and gardens of 
eternity. And then every blind eye is opened so that it may 
catch the indescribable beauty, and every deaf ear is made to 
hear, so that it may revel in the exultant harmonies and 



346 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

melodies, as choir and soloist shall rise to the exalted heights 
of expressing in the eloquence of sound the impulses that 
are too sublime for words. Amid these scenes of the rejoic- 
ings of the immortal and redeemed, there can be found no 
speechless tongue ; and no defective limb will offer obstruc- 
tion to the poetic expression of bodily motion when every 
nerve is vibrating its symphonies at the thought of actually 
being in the New Jerusalem, the metropolis of the earth 
made new. 

Before these eternal realities that our heavenly Father offers 
us, all the wealth that this present world can give is trans- 
formed into the most beggarly poverty; and the highest tem- 
poral attainments that the strongest ambition can paint upon 
the canvas of the imagination are broken into the immaterial 
elements of nothingness. 

As we look upon the earth we see nothing but distress, 
perplexity, and unsatisfying prospects. We. see, in the prophecy 
of what the Master told us would take place in these days, 
"men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after 
those things that are coming on the earth." This distressed 
condition is all that earth has to offer; but if we take the 
telescope of prophecy and divinely inspired promise, and look 
beyond these scenes of the closing days of time over into 
the fair domains of our heavenly Father, we see the "New 
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven ;" we see the 
hand of Omnipotence giving our earth its purifying ablu- 
tion of fire. Out of this curse-destroying crucible we see the 
work of creation bringing back to mankind its perfect new earth 
in the vernal freshness and matchless beauty of the blossom- 
ing and perfumed splendors of Eden ; and finally we see our 
redeemed and re-created planet swinging anew into her trackless 
highway of space, peopled by the happy creatures who are 
settling themselves into the undimmed pleasures and occupations 
of their eternal existence. 



THE TRIUMPHANT VICTORY AND EVERLASTING REWARD 347 

"We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is 
written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken ; we also 
believe, and therefore speak; knowing that He which raised 
up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall 
present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that 
the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many 
redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not ; 
but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is 
renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but 
for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal 
weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are 
seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things 
which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen 
are eternal." 




"The desert shall rejoice, and 
blossom as the rose." 



0%* 






•if' 




CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE 



THIS generation is living in the presence of a wonderful 
array of fulfilling prophecy. The facts are before us, 
and the evidence is so clear as to leave no occasion for 
the faintest shadow of doubt. 

This generation should be thrilled by the knowledge that 
all these fulfilling prophecies are to culminate in the one 
supreme event of the second coming of our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ. 

This generation should grasp its proffered opportunity of 
proclaiming the glorious Gospel of the kingdom to the ends 
of the earth. 

The events that focus upon this generation are immeasur- 
ably sublime. The prophecies that show us that the second 
coming of Christ is at hand, point also to the great judgment 
day and the resurrection from the dead. Every son and 
daughter of Adam who shall be found worthy to have a part 
in the resurrection of the righteous will soon be called from 
the death-locked chambers of the tomb. The evergreen crown, 

343 



IN THIS GENERATION 349 

woven by the divine Father from the laurels of faithfulness, 
integrity, purity, and truth, will soon be placed by the Re- 
deemer's own hand on the brow of each one that He rescues 
by His grace. 

Our fathers, through all the generations of the centuries 
that have come and gone, have loved to talk of the coming 
time when the dead should be raised at the second advent of 
the Lord. In order for them to behold that day of consum- 
mating triumphs and joy, they had to lift to their eyes the 
telescope of faith, and cast their look over the struggles and 
griefs and turmoils of the ages yet unborn. The sure pros- 
pects and infallible evidences of that yet distant resurrection 
day was a theme to constantly fill the soul with joy, even amid 
the distresses of the most cruel persecutions. 

But now we can say, by the same words of faith, that the 
time is just at hand. Now we can say that these centuries 
of waiting have all rolled into the past, and that the day is 
impending when the great reunion of the heavenly family will 
be taken from the visions of faith, and be bestowed upon us in 
the literal realities of actual possession. That father, that 
mother, that sister, that brother, that husband, that wife, that 
son, that daughter, that bosom friend, that we have been com- 
pelled sorrowfully to yield to the relentless grasp of death, is 
about to be called to life again. Our ''Elder Brother," the 
Man of Nazareth and of Calvary, is about to spread the great 
banquet of His marriage supper, and give us a personal intro- 
duction amid the actualities of immortal life, to Enoch and 
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, to Joseph and Moses and 
Daniel, to David and Jeremiah and Isaiah, to Matthew and 
John and Paul, and to all the rest of that innumerable com- 
pany of the redeemed. These,, things are facts. There can 
be no mistake about them. 

Can you sense it? We have reached the generation that 
is witnessing the fulfilment of prophecy that makes these sub- 



35o 



HERALDS OF THE MORNING 



lime events a certainty in this our day. And how should 
these things call out the very best energies of our lives in 
proclaiming the message of the soon coming of Christ. The 
message is to be given in this generation. The time is ripe 
for it. God is calling for it. Every one who has learned to 
revere His name, and respect His Word, should answer to the 
thrilling summons. 

The eternal existence of human souls is at stake. If there 
should be delay in answering to the call, thousands may be 
eternally lost as the result. When the country stands in peril 
of a foreign foe, the call to arms is made, and hundreds of 
thousands respond with the enthusiasm and zeal of patriots. 
But in such calls only matters of temporary and fleeting interest 
are at stake, and the call is made by only a temporary ruler. 
In this supreme and culminating conflict against the forces 
of sin our divine Father, the King who inhabiteth eternity, is 
calling us to a battle-field from which every volunteer (there 
will be no drafted soldiers) will return wearing the diadem of 
immortality. 

When freedom's cause is at stake, the call to the dangers 
and hazards of the battle-field loosen in the breast of the patriot 
the swelling and unconquerable and uncontrollable emotions 
that rise on the solid foundation of a sense of duty and the 

undying love for the 
"home-land." But 
these emotions, 
grand as they may 
be, are confined to 
the narrow bound- 
aries of this tempo- 
ral existence in this 
temporal world. 
The conflict that is 

14 The exact location ot a vessel at sea may be determined."— P. jjj. DrOUgnt Wltnin mc 




IN THIS GENERATION 



51 




" The exact move- 
ments of the heavenly 
bodies may be meas- 
ured "—Page 353. 



field of our vision, 
and in which we are 
urged, by the strong 
voice of these rapidly- 
fulfilling prophecies, 
to take an active part, 
breaks asunder the 
restricting bands that 
would confine us to 
time upon this earth. 
The issues that are 
before this genera- 
tion are widened into 

the limitless aeons of eternity, and the eye is fixed upon that 
unnumbered throng of redeemed immortals who are rising 
from the bed-chamber of the tomb in response to the melo- 
dious command of our " Elder Brother," our Redeemer, and 
our chosen King. 

We are not wandering in the field of fancy or imagination 
as we talk of these things. We are dealing with sober facts 
that stand upon the firm foundation of the never-failing words 
of the Eternal. 

He, at whose commands the worlds sprang into existence, 

and took up their sweeping and infinitely accurate journey- 

ings in space, is the One who has spoken. His word has 

never failed, and the more blessed truth is that it can not fail. 

These prophecies which show us where we are in the night of 

this world's wanderings in sin can not possibly lead us astray. 

They are the fixed words of the Infinite, the All-powerful, 

and the Immortal* and for them to fail is thrust beyond the 

realm of even the twilight shadows of possibility. Then, with 

what assurance can we repeat the words that the apostle Peter 

was inspired to write upon this all-absorbing theme. They 

read thus: — 
22 



352 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

"For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when 
we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of His majesty. For 
He received from God the Father honor and glory, when there 
came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is 
My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice 
which came from heaven we heard, when we were with Him 
in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of proph- 
ecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light 
that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day 
star arise in your hearts: knowing this first, that no prophecy 
of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the 
prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy 
men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 
2 Peter i : 16-21. 

Our heavenly Father is the Author of all the tender and 
loving emotions that have ever swelled the breast of the most 
perfect mother or father. And with all the intensity of His 
own still higher and more constant love, He is urgently invit- 
ing every one of us to-day to be among the joyful participants 
in the glorious realities of the resurrection day. He is inviting 
us to be the living witnesses of His saving grace and truth 
amid all the perilous times of these last days, and to be the 
ones who will stand upon the earth, and, without tasting death, 
welcome Him at His coming. He is inviting us to prepare 
the way for that event in fulfilling that part of the prophecy 
which says "this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in 
all the world for a witness." What a wonderful invitation! 
What a great opportunity! And how do these things eclipse 
the greatest enterprises and the greatest opportunities that the 
affairs of this world can offer! 

Every one may know the positive truth of the immediate 
second coming of Christ and the impending judgment day and 
resurrection of the dead as definitely and as clearly as he 



IN THIS GENERATION 



353 



knows the first rudiments of his arithmetic. The one is just 
as clear cut and as susceptible of definite knowledge as the 
other. We learn to know and fully to rely upon figures by 
the study of arithmetic and the other branches of the science 
of mathematics. Having studied figures until we understand 
them, we have no fears that the conclusions derived from them 
can have any possibility of error. With figures, the exact 
movements of the heavenly bodies may be measured so that 
an eclipse of the sun or the moon or the transit of another 
planet may be determined to the hundredth part of a second; 
with figures, the exact location of a vessel at sea may be 
determined; with figures, the civil engineer may survey a tun- 
nel through a vast moun- 
tain, and set men to digging 
from either side, and have 
: them meet accurately; and 

so in all the field of science, 
or anywhere else that cal- 
culations are made, we rely 
upon figures to give us correct 
results. 




" I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem." Rev. 21:2. 



354 HERALDS OF THE MORNING 

He who gave to man the science of mathematics and 
endowed him with the ability to calculate with figures, is the 
same One who has also given mankind the book of prophecy, 
and bidden him to "know" when the coming of Christ is 
"near, even at the doors." And just as the mariner can tell 
definitely, from the calculations he is able to make, when he is 
nearing port, so may the student of prophecy tell with even 
greater definiteness that the inhabitants of earth are riding in 
the swelling tides that wash the shores of the haven of eternity. 

God is now bidding us to enter the school of prophecy, 
and study under the accurate instruction of the inspired proph- 
ets. He asks us to pursue this study until we can approach 
our fellow men who have not yet entered this school, and tell 
them, with no uncertain tones in our voices, that the end of 
all things is at hand; that the judgment day is impending; that 
the trump of God is about to sound; that the gates of death 
are about to swing outward, and release the captives of the 
tomb; that Jesus is soon to be seen coming in the clouds of 
heaven, and all the holy angels with Him; that the kingdoms 
of this world are about to become "the kingdom of our Lord 
and of His Christ;" that the royal cities of earth will give 
place to the eternally glorious .city of our God. 

Such is the inspiring, and soul-absorbing opportunity of 
to-day. Such is the call to every one to join in the battles of 
the armies of the Lord to proclaim "this Gospel of the kingdom 
in all the world for a witness unto all nations," so that the end 
may come. 

This call is imperative. It must be accepted now. In a 
brief time it will be forever too late, and the eternity of joy 
that our Father is now proffering will have passed beyond our 
reach. 



ONE COPY RECLi 
AUG 22 1904 



